"The quality of mercy is not strain'd,/It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven/Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;/It blesseth him that gives and him that takes..."
William Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice
Continuing on the theme of houses I have loved {here and sort of here: house number three was a mid-century ranch} brings me to today's topic. New Construction vs. Old House. Nothing creates quite the firestorm as this issue, I think, in the otherwise mild & innocuous world of interior design.
Case in point. Yesterday The Inspired Room posted Ten Reasons to Buy a New Home. Our house was built in 2006 and we moved into it in early 2010. So my response to her list was enthusiastic! I agreed with all of her reasons and gave two more. My disdain for home improvement projects (having a table saw in my dining room is so totally not my thing) and the open floor plan. With two young children and only one set of eyes for parental supervision for the first two years in this house, you better believe I was thrilled one big room defined our main living area.
Among the old house enthusiasts who chimed in on the post was one person who replied directly to my comment. She must have had a very bad experience in a newer-build home, and it takes every ounce of gentility I can summon to not retort: "Did you really just insinuate that I have a messy, stinky house, AND no taste? Because it. is. on!" Mercy me. Breathe, crankypants.
Her comment is gone today, although still in my email. Perhaps she realized what she said was rude or perhaps The Inspired Room removed it. I don't know. In a sense her criticism was good to read because it made me think long & hard about what I love about our home.
The style of house #1 was gypsy, house #2 was Cape Cod, and house #3 was Mad Men before that was cool (Fun fact: the first episode of MM aired on my birthday!). The only difference between any of these houses was the size of the payment and the ZIP code. Same girl, same furniture; I just figured out how to change it up to make it fun to fit the house.
But now? This house is really our home. No chance of getting away from the kids' noise? Great! I want to hear them and be near them. I want to see my family playing or watching TV while I'm baking in the kitchen or loading the dishwasher. This sense of togetherness also informs our furniture purchases. When we bought our sofa, we chose a great big sectional. The best part is that when we cuddle together to watch a movie, I can touch every single person I love best.
This new house also gives me loads of inspiration to write about how to make it look and feel charming, so surely there will be more to come.
We live in a new house and I love the idea that we get to add our own "character" to it! It's like being handed a empty page that you can fill up with your own personality and style!
ReplyDeleteI like that idea, Ann-Marie! Thanks for commenting. :)
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