And then we have this plaudit, following the Chinkvirus lockdown(s):
Shelter in place has us focused on the characteristics of a home that makes us happy. What makes us happy in a home has not changed, but since we are spending more time in a home than ever, we are focused on what makes us happy in a home. Neighborhoods become more important during shelter in place. Here is a home that exudes the elements of a home we enjoy when we shelter in place. Architect Max Levy designed this home that is immersed in nature, enjoys the shared greenways of the neighborhood, and is surrounded by vibrancy.
And this “immersion in nature” looks like this:
You know where this is going, right? Let’s look at the interior:
It would not surprise me if the cushion coverings were hiding concrete blocks.
This excrescence is part of a series of five houses which inspire us to shelter in place, and only one of the five does not inspire me to load up the Molotov cocktails and go for a little drive down some “shared greenways”. Here it is:
…and to the surprise of absolutely nobody, this house was designed IN 1939.
All the above are located in Dallas (not renowned for anything classical, architecture least of all), but I do know the real estate market around here quite well, and I can truthfully say that the only houses I’d consider buying in the city would be the few still standing which were built before WWII.
All the rest are either foul beyond words (“mid-century modern” aaargh ) or else ultra-modern carbuncles like the ones above. The newly-built ones, by the way, all look like they’re owned by Russian oil oligarchs, retired Cowboys footballers, Arab oil sheiks or Colombian druglords. (And that’s not just my opinion, by the way: Mr. Free Market, who has been on several tours of the area conducted by Yours Truly, has even worse things to say.)
Here’s one in Plano which exemplifies the type:
At least it looks like something a little classical. But the supercars parked oh-so casually in the driveway give the game away.
It makes me not want to buy lottery tickets, if that’s all that obscene amounts of money could buy me.