say nay to crappy lemming-like design sensibility! say yay to smooth original modern retro design!
June 9 update! SHE WON! If you voted for Morgan, thank you!
During the process of organizing and sort-of-decorating my living spaces over the past year [living room and bedroom], I added several design blogs to my regular reading repetoire (can one have a repetoire of reading? well, now one can!)
By “several” I mean “so many, my Bloglines feed reader may blow apart.”
And, as I love good Cinderella stories, I love the makeover blogs the best. Especially when someone buys a supercrappy, outdated, piece-of-poo house and transforms it into a wonderful space inside and out.
By “wonderful space” I mean clean, quirky, retro, modern, cool, weird, elegant — all in one.
And opposite of the shite that passes (on HGTV, at least) as “good” design, but is woefully short-sighted. I swear, spend a little time watching those countless home improvement shows and you will be told, in constant, brainwashing soundbites, that you MUST have stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, slate flooring, travertine marble (in the master bathroom that always features the tacky spa tub,) neutral paint, blah blah blahbitty blah.
[disclaimer: oh god, if you like any of the stuff I listed, or even all of it: I’m sorry! I don’t mean to rag on you. If you’re reading this blog, then I know you have put your personal stamp of creativity on your living space. I’m talking about the people who don’t read this blog. Like, Republicans and stuff.]
Anyway, one of the cooler and more hilarious of the house makeover blogs has been The Brick House. I like how she has tackled a midcentury gem-in-the-rough, whipping the interior into shape on an extremely limited budget. That’s her living room up top there. I imagine I’d have a similar temperament to her if I were a homeowner — alternately entranced and fed-frickin-UP with the whole process.
Brick House’s Morgan has entered her home in Rejuvenation.com’s Make Your Home Your Own Contest, and I would like her to win. You can quickly cast a vote on her page on the site, if you like. As Morgan mentions on her blog, there are some worthy competitors in the mix, but it is dismaying how many votes the really blah designs have.
A vote for The Brick House is a vote against lame design and prefab interiors!
Down with Home Depot and up with thrift stores!
</end plug>
June 9 update! SHE WON! If you voted for Morgan, thank you!
Damn – thanks for the awesome plug!
Your right, HGTV and Home Depot are brainwashing people to consume items that are ultimately going to be as outdated as 80’s brass light fixtures and security window bars. I bet granite will be a dirty word in 10 years. I love seeing houses on those shows that are all taupe and totally lack any sort of personality. Its saying like, hey I’m a boring person and I’m totally comfortable with that.
I saw those lamps you got in Long Beach – so FAB! Your a socal girl? ohhhhh competition. i can point out some great spots if your interested.
oh and I totally HATE being “this” person especially after your so nice to post about my house and crusade…but my name is Morgan. I got called Megan a lot in school and still have the emotional scars. I know its not listed anywhere on my bloggity, so I’m so sorry for bringing it up. I’ve had people call me worse things…like morgasim.
Yay! Thanks for visiting the blorg, and thanks for pointing out the name typo — my brain said Morgan my fingers said “fuck you, brain”. It’s fixed.
Yep, I’m a little farther up in Ventura but SoCal nonetheless. The thrifting (and monthly big flea mark) is pretty solid here. I had plans to drag a pal to the flea down there when you had a booth, but they fell through, boo. Sorry that it sucked that time.
My favorite quote from “Flip my Curb Appeal” or whatever it was was from a “designer” – “Stainless steel appliances are TIMELESS!” Yeah.
I’m SO ON your bandwagon, Brickie! Let’s win for the good guys!
Becky
Haven’t looked at Rejuvenation’s site yet, but I have to see if any of you kids have checked out BBC’s “Hotel Inspector”? Oh, dear, it’s good! Premise: Run-down or tackily decorated or unfortunately-themed British hoteliers contact our hostess, a famous hotelier and business woman, who promptly drives on the wrong side of the road out to their inn to help. She is very funny and derisive in a stiff-upper-lip, this-is-for-your-own-good sort of way in telling them to get rid of their shit. She once said, “somewhere along the way your shabby chic turned to shabby shit”. She reviews them top to bottom, kitchen to reception to business plan and spanks them toward success. You get to see a lot of English countryside and discolored and misaligned teeth and then eventually some gussied-up hotels. Now scoot.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!