topic Re: TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOUSE TOURS in Home

TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOUSE TOURS

Oznell — Sat, 23 Nov 2019 02:09:17 GMT

"House Beautiful" online has been churning out some really fun short videos of various house tours. I thought these two houses presented a fascinating contrast with each other.

The first is of the historic Catskills cottage "Pennyroyal". It belonged to venerable interior design figure Candace Wheeler, who ended up building a whole art colony around the mountain cottage she bought for herself. Here's Pennyroyal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5s8BLaVyPE&list=PLRUAmsRjYTsXMcR8jSJsTdGiGqmGD4Rv4&index=8

It's been sensitively renovated by the woman narrating the video. I keep comparing it to the pre-renovated "Pennyroyal" I remember from one of my favorite design books:

I think they did a nice job with a fascinating historical landmark! Incidentally, this book is fabulous for examples of everything from 'humble rustic' to 'genteel crumbling grandeur' style. Amazon still has this book, mostly second hand I think.

But I digress. The second house tour is of HGTV's "Windy City Rehab" host Alison Victoria's house. She has a sort of vibrant, youthful style, mixing modern and vintage. She loves to take old Chicago gems and revitalize them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ge9gb8IpIY

Just thought it would be fun to include the two very differing styles in one post!

Edited to add: I forgot to mention that even though she specializes in rehabbing, Alison Victoria's house that you see in the video is all new. Some of the old architectural elements, like that scrumptious fireplace mantel, that she incorporates, give it more gravitas.

Re: TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOUSE TOURS

Somertime — Sat, 23 Nov 2019 12:37:48 GMT

Thanks, Oznell! I, always, find the process fascinating!

Re: TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOUSE TOURS

Oznell — Sat, 23 Nov 2019 13:43:32 GMT

Oh, me too, @Somertime.. There's something too, about seeing houses on video or film, as opposed to stills. You can explore more "avidly", if you will, all the visuals, and almost feel like you're there....

I almost got chills when at Pennyroyal they showed that contemporaneous sketch of Mark Twain, done on the original plaster! So cool that when renovating, they kept that, and just seamlessly built the new wall surfaces around it.... You probably have seen a lot of that kind of thing in your career, but it just wows me, a layman!

Re: TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOUSE TOURS

Somertime — Sat, 23 Nov 2019 14:05:51 GMT

Oznell, that wowed me as well! I thought it was fabulous! I love the history in all of the old houses and how they evolve over the years. My family had purchased an old house in Vermont in 1953 with 150 acres. The main house was built in 1796. My Aunt and Uncle renovated it and added a stone addition which became the kitchen and it was huge! There was a banquet table in the kitchen that could fit 18 comfortably. It had a huge fireplace which contained an old fashioned coal stove that you could cook and bake in and use for heat when the power went out. The basement was the whole length of the house including the new addition which had a wine cellar and vegetable storage on a dirt floor with slate overlay. It had an old barn on the property which my Uncle turned into an antique shop which was his hobby. An old barn was being torn down and he bought all the wood and beams and used them in the new kitchen for floors and the remaining was used in the barn for the floors. So I guess my fascination started as a child, long before I ever went to work. That house was my dream home, even, today. My Aunt sold it after my uncle died as it was far too much for her. Young people purchased it and raised their family, there and turned the barn back into an actual barn. It looks lovely but I have never been back inside even though they told me very little had been changed.

Re: TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOUSE TOURS

Oznell — Sat, 23 Nov 2019 16:35:18 GMT

Your family's Vermont house and spread sound fabulous, @Somertime, and it's no wonder that you were intrigued at a young age and continued on that "house-love" path to adulthood!

I can well imagine such a magical place would be hard to keep up. How wonderful that it is still there though, relatively unchanged even now. A dream!

Re: TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOUSE TOURS

DREAMON — Sat, 23 Nov 2019 23:52:35 GMT

The Catskill Cottage is definitely my favorite of the 2. It is so well done. I like just about everything as is in that beautiful home. It is refined but warm and cozy IMO.

The Alison Victoria house is very nice but it just didn't make me want to own it or stay there. It wasn't calling me.

@Oznell ..thanks so much for posting these interesting homes. Your knowledge, time, and enthusiasm is truly appreciated.

Re: TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOUSE TOURS

Catiele — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 00:16:25 GMT

Oh I just love watching these tours. They spark my interest and my mind begins to wander. Just what I needed today. Thanks Oznell

Re: TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOUSE TOURS

Oznell — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 00:58:05 GMT

It's my pleasure, sweet @DREAMON and @Catiele. Thanks for coming here to discuss!

Re: TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOUSE TOURS

stevieb — Sun, 08 Dec 2019 22:29:50 GMT

I watched these two videos a while ago and then forgot to come and comment. Time being the enemy of memory... and not wanting to go back and view either of them again, I do recall that while Victoria's aesthetic is not mine, her place was nicely done in her style and well appointed. That said, I wouldn't want to be her... I also never, ever want for any home in which I might live to have four chairs, especially four nondescript chairs, facing each other as an excuse for a sitting area... I'd feel like I was on a talk show. She had some nice pieces but her overall style isn't mine. As for the Catskills place, much more my style and from what I can recall some lovely elements and nice pieces, but I remember distinctly feeling there was something about the overall place that just somehow missed the mark...