Modern Chandelier Meets The Natural Look
So Saturday I went on the Modern Atlanta Homes Tour. I’ll tell you more about it after I edit my pictures (I’m SUCH and idiot; I forgot my camera so all my pictures are from my iPhone and thus they suck worse than usual). There was one house that stood out as not only being thoughtful and beautiful and modern, but it really, truly had a soul. For now, I want to share their dining room chandelier. It’s a bunch of twigs hanging from a wire. It’s a crap camera shot, but hopefully you’ll get the idea:
What was so great about this was also the thought of just “what the hell? Let’s give hanging some twigs from the ceiling a whirl! Who cares? If it looks stupid, we’ll take it down.” That was the attitude I got from this house with soul. Similarly, the stairs had a quote from the bride’s grandmother written on them on Sharpie, all the way up two stories. Apparently, they scribbled the quote there for a party before the stairs were finished, but when the time came, they could not bear to lose the quote, so it’s still there.
Lesson: Experiment with your home. Don’t be afraid to try things out. Don’t even let that evil, soul-crushing word, “resale” enter your mind when you are planning out your home or decorating. That word is for dorks and greedy house flippers with no taste who watch too much HGTV and say things like “sizzle factors” about “custom kitchens” and think that means something special.  Just go for it. If something doesn’t work, you can eliminate it and move on, if it does work, it will probably be one of the best features of your home.
May 12th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Ha! When was the last time there was anything even remotely “custom” about a kitchen described that way? I have SUCH a specific picture of that type of kitchen in my mind. It’s not really my style, but it’s functional. However, it is SO not “custom.”
I can’t wait to see the rest of your pics. I love “real houses” with really cool design.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Hi Kit! I’m trying to upload them to flickr, but they are having techinical difficulties, and a bunch of them came through 90 degrees clockwise! Hopefully I’ll have them up tomorrow!
Becky
May 12th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Kit, P.S. Yes, the “custom” thing on TV means the drawers automatically close on the cabinets, or one of them has a glass door. It’s the lamest thing I’ve ever heard. Just one of those words invented by realtors and/or builders. I mean, shouldn’t a kitchen be “customized” for a PARTICULAR client or type of client (i.e. gourmet sushi chefs) anyway, not “customized” for a general spec market? I’d like to hear from William Safire on this one! Or my pal Susan Serra, a.k.a. The Kitchen Designer. This commentary is directed at the ex-NFL dude and his friends who flip really crappy houses in New Haven on “Flip this House” on A&E.
“Sizzle factor” means a countertop made of scrap granite (whichever piece was available, you know, so it can be all “custom”), or some crookedly-hung thin cheap stick of crown moulding. I love how everyone walks into these houses and is trained to say “Ohhh, I just LOVE the crown moulding.”
May 12th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Cannot wait to see more of these pictures- and I like actual photographs that look like you were there and they are not all staged on a set! I was in one “truly” customized kitchen for a client, unfortunately not mine, but the builder and designer worked with the homeowner. They did a lot of stir frying- so they actually had a built in wok pan in a separate pantry with outside ventilation, so the smells did not permeate throughout the house! Very cool- I wish I had that every time I fry bacon!
May 12th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I am looking forward to those pictures! That chandelier is very different — not sure what to think about it. That may be the kind of item you need to see in person to see how it fits with the rest of the home.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:08 am
[...] I started to tell you about the Modern Atlanta Home Tour yesterday but I didn’t get very far! I wanted to show you more from my favorite home that I [...]
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:40 am
I love this send me pic’s
Sherry
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:07 am
thank you for your glowing review of our house.our home is really so modest in comparision to the million dolar homes on the tour, and that you were moved by ours is very kind. we believe that ‘we design for life’–and that would be real life. The life of stuff, childs, dogs, and budget. So you if you don’t have that perfect light fixture now,make one for now. Life is a work in progress, just make a map for the future.