that brown house

[steluch]

"that brown house" is what my mom has been calling the new house. she abhors the color and can't seem to get past the concept that not only did enf and i buy a brown house, but we like it. i think it's like loving your ugly child...it's my house and i love it, so how could i possibly think it is ugly...perhaps "brown" would not have topped my all

Comments

[cat_herder]

Well, if they can have townhouses in Alexandria and brownstones in New York, you can have a brownhouse in Oakland.

I think Mom needs a tour of the various elegant Maybecks and Morgans in the posher neighborhoods to gain an appreciation for that lovely brownitude.

[steluch]

i'm hopeful that she'll get used to and even come to like the vernacular architecture in this part of the country. she currently likes styles of homes that aren't as frequently found in the bay area: brick colonials and neo-colonials, cape cods (which is what i grew up in), and the like. those styles, along with ranch homes and a very few "modern" homes, are also what she is *used* to...stucco or cedar shakes are alien building materials to her.

likewise, it took me awhile to get used to the prevalence of stucco in california; however, i had a soft spot for the craftsman bungalows (especially the ones with front porches) before i came out here.

in the meantime, we are adopting "that brown house" to turn the phrase into our own badge of achievement as opposed to a derogatory slur!

[cat_herder]

There are some fabulous books about Bungalow style and Arts and Crafts artwork and materials.

Green and Greene Masterworks
Bungalow Style

There are boatloads of wonderful Bungalow style books. Also books on Maybeck and Morgan... Lots of bungaphiles love Roseville and McCoy pottery. I recommend getting really pretty picture books of all that and leaving it around the apartment. Ayse and I call that kind of stuff House Porn.

[misuba]

Awesome!

Once your house has a domain name it is real

[steluch]

in that case, i'm glad we got the domain name before moving in!

:P

[vokzal]

Those are *great* photos!

[trinsf]

Brown house FTW! But in support of your mother, I find much of bay area residential architecture crapp-ay.

[steluch]

heh...see i find much of the vernacular architecture built after 1940 crapp-ay...in the bay area, in my home town, in most small cities and suburban areas...

[slsmallets]

I like the brown. The house is a house that is clearly supposed to be brown. Not that my opinion will (or should) matter to your mother. :^)