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Oh, and speaking of light - OPEN THE SHADES!!!! I don't know how people live in dark houses.
There are many reasons. One being to keep the heat out. Serious book collectors have to be cautious about the amount, and type, of light in a room. Sunlight destroys the paper and binding. We have an extensive collection of books that will be given to a university some day. Some are rare, some are important first editions or sought-after out-of-print volumes, some are just flat-out old and need to be preserved. We're very careful about when we open the shades and have UV-blocking tint on the windows to protect the books. Everyone has priorities. Ours is preserving, and enjoying, an important collection of books.
(If walls of books make people cringe..... I don't care. )
Last edited by DewDropInn; 03-12-2014 at 11:46 AM..
No one is talking about JUDGING others and sending them to hell for their Hummels. We're not talking about hating on people, or denying them their personal freedoms, or discriminating against them over our differing tastes, or burning a cross in their yard.
All we're talking about is what we PERSONALLY don't like. Are you saying that you just like EVERYTHING that you see in other's homes, or that you're not entitled to your own opinions or likes and dislikes?
The "silent zoo" lady said earlier: "as kids, we thought it was cool".
Are none of you able to invoke your sense of childlike wonder?
I'm over 50, and I've never grown up--and I'm told that if I haven't grown up by then, I don't have to! Yay!
(that said, I wouldn't want any of that crap in MY house! But it is fun to look at in other peoples'.)
I have a HUGE sense of kitsch and whimsey. I decorate with a sense of humor, and I incorporate older items with newer items.
For example, I'd never, ever think of decorating a house with "all new" matching furniture, for that "soul less, lacking in history, HGTV look.
There is no humor in true kitsch. In fact, the sad thing is; those decorating with this style, don't view these items with any "childlike wonder". They are dead serious!
Mr. Kincaid was revered by many as "the painter of light". During the Mc Mansion rage of the late 90s through mid-2000, well healed people on Long Island (40 minutes away from one of the Art capitals of the world, NYC) were filling their faux Victorians with multiple Kincaids. Pictures of Victorians in side of Victorians.
That said, I actually enjoy a touch of whimsey and kitsch - in small doses. Has anyone been to the site Retroreno? www,retrorenovation.com/ It's founder is an aficionado of mid-century modern decor. 1940s-1970s.
I rather like the clean lines of Danish modern style, and my parents first house was a sprawling cedar sided split, with a tongue and groove paneled "rec room" adorned with a sunburst clock, and a pink and black tiled powder room with Eiffel Tower wall paper
Honestly? I'd kill for that bathroom today. Kitchy? Perhaps. But loaded with humor and history of a simpler time in America.
There are many reasons. One being to keep the heat out. Serious book collectors have to be cautious about the amount, and type, of light in a room. Sunlight destroys the paper and binding. We have an extensive collection of books that will be given to a university some day. Some are rare, some are important first editions or sought-after out-of-print volumes, some are just flat-out old and need to be preserved. We're very careful about when we open the shades and have UV-blocking tint on the windows to protect the books. Everyone has priorities. Ours is preserving, and enjoying, an important collection of books.
(If walls of books make people cringe..... I don't care. )
I have walls of books - they don't make me cringe.
I keep them in my den and in my office though, for the most part. Those rooms are not filled with light, but the rest of the house is. I cannot STAND a dark house. But hey, that's just me.
Walter & Margaret Keane had an acrimonious divorce. He claimed to have painted the pictures; however, his wife was actually the artist. He just signed them. At the divorce trial, the judge (a very wise person!) presented each of them with an easel and paint. Walter tried to beg off. Margaret did her thing!
"Four decades ago, Keane paintings were reviled by the art establishment as being about as subtle and original as pornography. But the masses snatched up the paintings, which hung in New York's United Nations, Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre, and in the homes of such celebrities as Joan Crawford, Red Skelton, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Dinah Shore and Dean Martin. Even Madame Chiang Kai-shek owned one."
If you have an original, don't toss it!
There is actually a movie coming out about this! It's called Big Eyes, & stars Amy Adams & Christoph Waltz. Sorry but can't link well on the phone. IMDb - Movies, TV and Celebrities
I have a HUGE sense of kitsch and whimsey. I decorate with a sense of humor, and I incorporate older items with newer items.
For example, I'd never, ever think of decorating a house with "all new" matching furniture, for that "soul less, lacking in history, HGTV look.
There is no humor in true kitsch. In fact, the sad thing is; those decorating with this style, don't view these items with any "childlike wonder". They are dead serious!
Mr. Kincaid was revered by many as "the painter of light". During the Mc Mansion rage of the late 90s through mid-2000, well healed people on Long Island (40 minutes away from one of the Art capitals of the world, NYC) were filling their faux Victorians with multiple Kincaids. Pictures of Victorians in side of Victorians.
That said, I actually enjoy a touch of whimsey and kitsch - in small doses. Has anyone been to the site Retroreno? www,retrorenovation.com/ It's founder is an aficionado of mid-century modern decor. 1940s-1970s.
I rather like the clean lines of Danish modern style, and my parents first house was a sprawling cedar sided split, with a tongue and groove paneled "rec room" adorned with a sunburst clock, and a pink and black tiled powder room with Eiffel Tower wall paper
Honestly? I'd kill for that bathroom today. Kitchy? Perhaps. But loaded with humor and history of a simpler time in America.
I agree - I like whimsical items too. A touch of humor here and there is refreshing. For instance, I have a little stone hedgehog that I bought in England nestled in my front flower bed. You can only see him when you're sitting on the front porch.
I have all sorts of weird, crazy stuff in our den - that's sort of the room for most of it. That's where our life size cardboard John Wayne is. We dress him in different things throughout the year - Santa hats, aprons, flower leis, Superman capes, that sort of thing.
We have a long hallway that we call the Gallery and it's filled with all sorts of family photos, many of which are humorous.
At Halloween, I put out my Halloween Tree. This is a metal tree (so cute and funky!) that I bought at Pier 1 and I printed and framed (in cute little sparkly frames) pictures of family members dressed in costume throughout the years. I LOVE hanging those crazy little pictures on that crazy little tree in my living room. That's also when I put out my big orange crushed velvet pillows on my sofa!
I have artsy stuff throughout the house, but generally my living room and dining room are more "grown up" most of the time. Except for Halloween.
I would say most yard art makes me cringe. One or two items is ok, but most of it looks tacky to me, especially when there is a lot of it.
Inside the house - I'd say clutter and too much furniture/stuff for the size of the room. I like the country look but it is really, really difficult to find pictures of it where it isn't overdone and has WAY too much clutter. I also don't like wallpaper and wallpaper borders. I think that is from having to put it up and take it down when I was a kid. That stuff is evil.
Had a friend who had a bit of whimsical decoration in her house. Among the decorations were a set of kids' alphabet building blocks she had arranged on a shelf to spell "Welcome Friends". I noticed them and mentioned that I liked them. Well, three weeks went buy when I got a laughingly-irate call from her. It took her that long to realize that I had re-arranged them to spell "blow me".
No one is talking about JUDGING others and sending them to hell for their Hummels.
Sorry, but you can't have it both ways. When you're cringing, you're judging.
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