Of a Saturday morning, New Wife and I lie in bed together while reading Teh Intarwebz — this website, various news outlets and, of course, C.W.’s site, which features many pics that catch his attention.
One such C.W. pic was this one:
At first, I was appalled, but the more I looked at the building, the more I came round somewhat. Yes, it does stand out (from what one can see) in a fairly conservatively-built neighborhood. And yet… if you were to ask me what to call it, I’d have to say “Modern Art Deco” because of that giant circular window frame, and — dare I say it? — all those stained-glass windows, which give the thing a little more of a classical style. It’s kinda 70s… and I grew up in the 1970s, lest we forget. But the kicker is that whatever you call it, it’s a huge improvement on the foul 60s-era style of its neighbor standing on the right.
New Wife — who agrees with me on most matters like this — really liked it. But then her inner chick came shining through on the next such pic:
…which she declared “cute”, even as I was reaching for a handy bedside barf bag. I think what causes my opposition is the stained-glass front door (“Adorable”, quoth she, because she loves stained-glass anything: doors, windows, Tiffany lamps, whatever).
Regardless, all that floral nonsense is still miles better than the ugly Po-Mo crap that’s foisted on us by the Le Corbusier School Of Ugliness.
But although the first edifice is still too modern for me, given a “must pick one” choice I think I’d take it over the Botanical Gardens thing. Some things are just too much to bear
Discuss.
“…Le Corbusier School Of Ugliness.“
As an architect, I’m stealing that.
Of course that glassed-in archway means you have to put on clothing to go to the living room.
.
I’ll admit, I kinda like the first one, but it is a fishbowl, and I wouldn’t want to live in it.
> I was appalled, but the more I looked at the building, the more I came round somewhat.
Oh, so now we’re doing puns are we?
Unintended, I assure you.
As a retired archichoke, If I had to put a style to the first one, I would call it a Hobbit townhouse.
Front door isn’t round and it stands a little tall, but I see your point.
Yeah – LSD Romanesque might be closer.
Hobbit townhouse sounds good, although the design has a little of what I think you guys call Victorian, like the famous Crossness Pumping Station. I think it could work with photoelectric windows like those public crappers in Japan where you can see out but nobody can see in, until the electronics fail that is. I like the option of privacy.
Number Two is so unoriginal. Fortunately it can be fixed in a couple of hours with today’s technology, namely a painting drone.
Windows with patterned frames like Number One are called leadlights. The glass is stained if it has a pigment, or has been painted. At one time every house in Bez Valley, namely all the miners’ terrace houses, had stained glass leadlights next to and above the front door. Now that lead can’t be used in the H-forms that hold the panes together, I wonder what they use instead.
Plastic
I can very much appreciate the artistry in #2, even if I would not pick that for myself. I would pick #1 as well, although I think much of the appeal is how it is warmly lit. I wonder how it would come across with the lights turn off.
Getting dressed in the fish bowl of a Hobbit townhosue, the neighbors would look once then buy me curtains. Curtain money = guns and ammo money.
The flower house doesn’t bother me If the inside is accommodating then I’d be fine with it until it needed to be repainted.