I got some interesting perspective on American homes and architecture evolution over the past few weeks strangely enough, between observing foreign architecture, reviewing the inspection reports on the home I'm personally looking at, and looking closer at the homes and communities that make up different zip codes in my area.
In Florida (and throughout a lot of the US for that matter) we have entire communities where the homes are designed not by an architect, but by developers, and unless you are living in a historic district, an urban core, or out in the boondocks by yourself in a swamp or on a farm, you are most likely living in suburbia in these cookie cutter housing communities where developers give homebuyers a choice of model "A, B, C, D" with a list of a million potential upgrades to these home models. Granted, it suits a lot of people's lifestyles, but our homes aren't typically built with an artistic aesthetic in mind.
Some compelling reading, and a podcast:
Welcome to McMansion Hell — McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad...
McMansion Hell: The Devil is in the Details - 99% Invisible
(P.S. Anyone here seen Arrested Development? Remember Sudden Valley? )
In Florida (and throughout a lot of the US for that matter) we have entire communities where the homes are designed not by an architect, but by developers, and unless you are living in a historic district, an urban core, or out in the boondocks by yourself in a swamp or on a farm, you are most likely living in suburbia in these cookie cutter housing communities where developers give homebuyers a choice of model "A, B, C, D" with a list of a million potential upgrades to these home models. Granted, it suits a lot of people's lifestyles, but our homes aren't typically built with an artistic aesthetic in mind.
Some compelling reading, and a podcast:
Welcome to McMansion Hell — McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad...
McMansion Hell: The Devil is in the Details - 99% Invisible
(P.S. Anyone here seen Arrested Development? Remember Sudden Valley? )