historical homes / Aimee's Victorian Armoire

2 Comments September 19, 2016 aimeevictorianarmoire

I think everyone can agree that if you are looking for a place to relax, heading to the mountains or the ocean is a good idea. I know those two locations tend to be my go to! 🙂 Many others who, perhaps, can’t escape the city life all that often, try to create a mini retreat right in their own home. This is a wonderful idea for anyone looking for a calming and “vacation-y” space to come home to each night.

Of course, heading away to a beautiful spot is not an unusual or brand new idea. People for decades have been craving space to relax in, and many are fortunate enough to own a little piece of land right along the shore line or tree line. This trend really began to build around the end of the 19th century with the rising middle class, and books were written specifically to help these new summer vacationers build their homes just right.

Henry Saylor wrote Bungalows: Their Design, Construction, and Furnishing: With Suggestions for Camps, Summer Homes, and Cottages of Similar Character, in 1911 specifically for this growing population. And even though that is one long title, I do find the subject and text fascinating. Here are few pages from the book highlighting seaside and forest bungalows:

Read that middle paragraph again between the two pictures.

What a beautiful thought that the colors of the house should “secure that intimate relationship between a home and its surroundings that conveys an impression of peace and stability rather than eternal strife and unfitness.” Let us all hope that our homes (inside and out) convey peace and stability to others and those that dwell in them.

I love how the author describes the need for the construction of the seaside home to be built to catch the ocean breezes….ahhhhh….what a thought! Of course, it wouldn’t be a post about homes without a few house plans…here are a few of my favorites that I could see in the mountains or along the coast line.