Yes, we have purchased a house and moved. It has sucked up every ounce of free time and money in a crazy tornado of excitement. We are still managing a list of to-dos that is a little longer than we’d like (which is why you won’t see any other photos yet), but I think we’re winning.
One of the first things I did with any speck of free computing time was to search the history of my house and the surrounding neighborhood. It’s both wonderful and a little creepy how many things you can find accessible as public information. I have a good idea who originally owned my house. It was built in 1949 and our county’s online records don’t go back that far, so I’ll need to do some real world research to complete the story. I know who bought it next, and how long they lived there, and who after that. I know the names of all my neighbors, the years that their houses were built, the crime patterns in and around our neighborhood, and how much every house last sold for.
Our house was built just before the zenith of mid-century design trends, but it has plenty of characteristics of mid-century houses, especially since it was expanded upon in the 60s. Post WWII decorating is usually identified as being spare, thankful and very patriotic. Red, white, and blue were often seen as color schemes. There was a big trend towards outdoor living and incorporating those themes inside as well. Our house has managed to hold on to bits of these ideas: The pink and blue of the bathroom tiles with white commode, tub and sink have that late 40s patriotism. It is ranch style, situated facing south and set wide on the lot so that windows and views of outside (especially the back yard) surround you when you are indoors.
The picture here is through a back window over the raised garden beds just off the porch. You can tell we’re in Florida–even the weeds look pretty (for now) as our neighborhood embden geese look for a snack.
Yet, my house is not mid-century modern. It has no transom windows, pine, or terrazzo floors. It is, as The Mid-Century Modest Manifesto at Retro Renovation says, like the hundreds of other mid-century houses built for the average American family. I like the mid-century modest idea, and I would like to retain the existing original components of my home and return as much of the updated areas to something more like what they were. Retro Renovation is an excellent resource site. Once I’ve got our bathroom more up to snuff I will show it off on Save the Pink Bathrooms. I’ve also found Atomic Ranch magazine and Mid Century Home Style excellent help.
