Sunday, February 26, 2006
About House Proud
I tried writing the text for the About House Proud page directly in HTML but I was feeling kind of stiff creatively, so I am attempting to write it here in the blog. Words seem to flow more freely here.
The goals and objectives of House Proud can be summed up in one statement. If I can stop one person from dismantling their Craftsman porch and replace it with an ornately turned Victorian style ballustrade from Home Depot, I will feel satisfied with my work. This is not a knock against Victorian homes or Home Depot. I live in Toronto Ontario and there is a large number of Victorian homes here, and if your house is Victorian then by all means rebuild your porch with turned ballustrades, and Home Depot has a great selection.
My point is that all houses have an original style and by using that style as a guide to your decoration and renovations, you will ensure that your house is in harmony with itself. A favourite quote of mine is taken from a website called SplitLevel.net
House Proud provides good information about house styles so you can make good choices for your home.
I'm not saying you have to restore your house back to every detail of 100 years ago. You can use modern components and materials. But as it is with most things in the world, every "new" design stands on the shoulders of previous designs. So if you know a bit about the style of your house, you can choose designs that have traits in common with your home.
What's in it for me?
A number of things about me personally came together in the form of House Proud. I am trained as a Historian at the University of Waterloo, however almost my whole career I have had the unofficial job title of "Computer Guy" (this is how my wife describes my job to her family).
House Proud is way for me to combine my interest in History and design as well as online technology. Being in the "home-owning parent of two" stage of my life I have taken a great interest in domestic architecture. I have always like certain styles of homes but it was only when I found out more about my 1940's bungalow that I realized why I like those homes. My previous statement is almost a web cliche as I have read about so many other people who have had the same experience of purchasing a home, and later becoming fascinated by its origins and its design.
The name House Proud comes from the adjective I would use to describe myself and others who are interested in making their house as good as they can be. With the record-setting housing market over the past number of years, there are hordes of us setting out to update our homes. I think everyone wants to be proud of their home, and I think everyone would like to know more about their house's pedigree.
The goals and objectives of House Proud can be summed up in one statement. If I can stop one person from dismantling their Craftsman porch and replace it with an ornately turned Victorian style ballustrade from Home Depot, I will feel satisfied with my work. This is not a knock against Victorian homes or Home Depot. I live in Toronto Ontario and there is a large number of Victorian homes here, and if your house is Victorian then by all means rebuild your porch with turned ballustrades, and Home Depot has a great selection.
My point is that all houses have an original style and by using that style as a guide to your decoration and renovations, you will ensure that your house is in harmony with itself. A favourite quote of mine is taken from a website called SplitLevel.net
"Right now the trend is very dressy doors with oval glass. If you have a bowfront window, avoid these at all costs. A 2005 door with oval glass on a 1967 house with a multiple-square or multi-pane front window just doesn't jive. It's a bit like an old lady wearing a mini-skirt; she looks like an old tart. Put her in a 1960s era pillbox hat, a pink skirt and jacket, with modest black pumps, and the old lady looks positively elegant. Same with the house."The point is that it doesn't matter if your house is a 19th century Victorian row house, a 1920's Arts and Crafts bungalow, or a post WWII Ranch Rambler; each house is built with a particular style. Applying decorations or renovations that are in line with that style is the difference between a balanced good-looking home, and a house that is awkwardly attempting to be something it is not.
House Proud provides good information about house styles so you can make good choices for your home.
I'm not saying you have to restore your house back to every detail of 100 years ago. You can use modern components and materials. But as it is with most things in the world, every "new" design stands on the shoulders of previous designs. So if you know a bit about the style of your house, you can choose designs that have traits in common with your home.
What's in it for me?
A number of things about me personally came together in the form of House Proud. I am trained as a Historian at the University of Waterloo, however almost my whole career I have had the unofficial job title of "Computer Guy" (this is how my wife describes my job to her family).
House Proud is way for me to combine my interest in History and design as well as online technology. Being in the "home-owning parent of two" stage of my life I have taken a great interest in domestic architecture. I have always like certain styles of homes but it was only when I found out more about my 1940's bungalow that I realized why I like those homes. My previous statement is almost a web cliche as I have read about so many other people who have had the same experience of purchasing a home, and later becoming fascinated by its origins and its design.
The name House Proud comes from the adjective I would use to describe myself and others who are interested in making their house as good as they can be. With the record-setting housing market over the past number of years, there are hordes of us setting out to update our homes. I think everyone wants to be proud of their home, and I think everyone would like to know more about their house's pedigree.
# posted by Brian R. Booth @ 10:49 AM 
