Fondly Remembering Lazy Moments
Written by faith on June 26th, 2009I live in an older area of Seattle, Capitol Hill, and love my walks in the neighborhoods. Melding my Midwestern roots and interior design background, I notice all the homes with a front porch. In Seattle you see lots of bungalows and Craftsman style homes often painted distinctively. I think a front porch invites ‘neighborliness’. Growing up I fondly recall lots of relaxing evenings and story telling on a porch. Given our disconnected and stressful lives, I am not surprised that porches are making a comeback.
The front porch trend coincides with a shift to a more casual lifestyle. The porch beckons to our need to connect and share community. And the front porch is an icon for that reason. Today new developments are taking advantage of our desire to interact and designing ‘new urbanism’ developments. These developments encourage walking and discourage cars and foster a sense of belonging.
Curiously, the front porch ebbed in popularity as ranch homes became the rage after GI’s returned from WW II. These homes were very simple and a porch was inappropriate. The NEW thing was the car not walking.
Saving the porch is the portrayal of the porch in movies and TV as a symbol of home. Viewers of this media yearn for that image of home. Starting in the mid-90’s the porch revived its place in home design. Today, porches are a detail desired to add that connection to our lives.
Do you have a porch? What’s your favorite memory?
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Beautiful porch! I have always loved porches and am glad to see them making a comeback. Somehow, there is nothing better than a rocking chair on a porch or a porch swing on a beautiful day!
On a different note, I have subscribed to your feed for a while now. Recently, I noticed that I don’t get the “full content” and now have to click to your blog to read the full story. I hope you will reconsider and allow the “full content” on your feeds. It doesn’t save me time if I have to click through on the feeds. I have around 40 blogs on my feed list, yours being one of them. The feeds allow me to read them quickly. When a blogger doesn’t show full content, I often will skip the story. Thank you.
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That porch is so beautiful! Wish I was able to have one, but a little too hot in Las Vegas to sit outside. I can see myself now rocking with a glass of wine and hopfully no thoughts in my head.
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Now that’s a wonderful image….thanks for the comment!