A very, very, very fine house

jimmyPsychologists are fond of saying, “Every child gets his own parents.” In other words, siblings can have vastly different experiences, perspectives and memories of the same parents. I think something similar goes on with houses and the people who share them.

Snooping as entertainment

hometourI am a snoop by nature and profession. Part Harriet the Spy, part Lois Lane, and a pinch post-prison Martha Stewart, I take notes on other people’s homes, write about them, and, occasionally, try to incorporate their nifty versions of domesticity into my own.

This ain’t no disco

ballroomSeveral years ago at a friend’s house, I met a young woman married to a man old enough to be her father. She was beautiful. He was rich. She loved to dance. He claimed two left feet. She said she longed to go out dancing but her husband preferred to stay home. Now, I don’t like to think of myself as judgmental but I may as well have donned black robes and slammed a gavel as she leaned in to confide how they resolved their differences.

Under the beaver flag

 2012AugSept UnderTheBeaverFlag 01I’m no flag waver, but we do fly the Oregon blue-and-gold over the back deck, where my wife and I look out on a woods of Douglas firs and a few mossy oaks and big-leaf maples.

Commanding heights

2012AugSept EditorLetter 01Producing a beautiful home magazine is not always a gentle art.

Current craze

2012AugSept Homeward NaturalLightUnusual shapes, different design and a splash of whimsy and fantasy.