Mid Century Modern Madness
So, the day before we left for Alaska, we bought a house. Not a new house. Not a house to live in. But, a house that we decided would be perfect to use as my law office. It was exciting and stressful. It was another one of those "things" I tend to get Jamie and myself into because I always need to have a project going on. It was not needed in our life, but it was going to be a good move for us, our future. Location, Location, Location. It is situated on one of the busiest roads in the County. It was in my price range. It was close to home. It was going to be easy to get through zoning. We thought it was going to be easy to remodel. Famous last words. We signed papers and the next morning left for our trip to Alaska.
While we were gone, my dad, the ultimate handyman, started the tear-out. I saw the house once when we walked through, then when we got home, I saw it with a giant pile of rubble in the area that was once a living room. That pile of rubble was there until March or April of 2018. Jamie and I never did get to see the house after the renters moved their stuff out, broom swept with nothing in it. It was an instant construction zone, and we got home and jumped right in. Virtually every weekend and every evening we spent at the house with my brother-in-law, Joe, my dad and Jamie. It consumed us-- well, it consumed me. I was the general contractor. I had to plan, order and make sure the materials were delivered. I would send out my to-do texts to Jamie and his brother each weekend. Sometimes they humored me and did it; oftentimes they ignored it and got done what they could. It actually worked well because I liked the planning and the ordering and the organizing. It eventually became a running joke about boss lady and her lists.
The house was built in 1958 and had a suburban, mid century modern vibe to it. Ranch style, flat roof lines. I loved the simplicity of it. I love mid century modern style, so it was a delight decorating it. Unfortunately, I had to wait months before the decorating could take place. We took a break for my birthday to visit the ultimate in mid century design: Fallingwater. Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece in Pennsylvania. Fallingwater is tucked into some woods near a river. It is said that Wright was under tremendous pressure to build this home for the wealthy Kaufmann family. The home is built over the rushing waterfall. The cantilevered decks are the signature part of this structure. They are amazing and an incredibly expensive design to maintain. Though my building is no Fallingwater, we had a great day touring such a beautiful structure.
Update: by May 1, 2018 our building was up and running! We included some mid century touches and created an inviting and peaceful atmosphere. It is a wonderful space to work and be productive.
