Up close, this 2 year old home is slick, shiny, and oh-so chic…
with modern lines and materials both inside…
and outside.
But there is one teensy issue…
It not only sits next to an early 20th century craftsman style home, but in an entire sea of homes from the same era…
Yup, there’s nothing like undisguised indifference to your surroundings for securing a friendly introduction to your new neighbors. Good luck with that!
This actually looks like a pretty livable home as far as modern goes. You look at some places and you have to wonder how people actually live in there.
But you’re right about the neighbors. I can imagine people wondering not only who would build such a “behemoth” but what kind of people are these who would buy it.
@Frodo: “Livable” is a good word, as in you could live here and have the basics covered. Cooking space? Check. Dining space? Check. Sleeping space? Check. Bathing space? Check.
But unless there’s more they’re not showing I see no “living” space as such. The only nod towards actually enjoying one’s home, instead of just using it, is the single sofa in the kitchen/family room, in an odd sort of space not really suited to it. There seems to be no place to put a TV, book shelf, or even other seats. That’s not very inviting, as you’d have to awkwardly sit sideways just to chat with anyone. The roof terrace is nice, but weather doesn’t always cooperate. And you’d also be exposed to the angry neighbors’ high powered rifles aimed your way.
While the lack of relaxation space is tough to overcome, it would be fairly easy to kick up the decor a notch, or five. There’s clean modern and then there’s really dull modern. Nothing here seems high level artsy clean. It’s rather mundane, not even living up to Ikea standards, which aren’t much but are still better than the Walmart standards we see here. “First apartment minimalism” is just really sad. If you can afford a half million dollar home, for heaven’s sake buy some decent furniture.
@Emerald63: I don’t know why I didn’t notice that these were apartments earlier. Yeah, that does make them small and less livable. I just figured there were some rooms they weren’t showing.
I’m not a big fan of modern anyway, although my daughter is just finishing up re-doing her bedroom. She went from Barbie colors when she was little to a dolphin-themed room in Middle School to now what’s turning out to be a very nice modern look. She has a loft bed with a futon underneath on order, grey walls with black, red, and white accents and some pretty curtains to match, and she still arranged enough room for her piano, computer desk, chest of drawers, and bookshelf. It’s not a large room, but she’s arranged it well. So I can live with some modern.
@Frodo: Well this is embarrassing. Looks like I never read the listing text, because I sure don’t remember it saying there were multiple units. (O_o) The one featured is Unit B, the one with the “Escher-esque” staircase. Now I’m struck by how much the unit’s 1400sqft is cut up on at least 3 levels, plus the roof terrace. To me it would make more sense to have each of the units take one floor so that there would be the sense of much more space.
Your daughter sounds like she has a good design sense. One can create a nice effect with any modern style decor, even the less expensive sort, if one has the talent and makes the effort. It’s when no one bothers that the cheap end of the spectrum makes for an especially dismal result. I suppose with her own piano she’s not in the market to continue into a design career? More’s the pity.
@Emerald63: Well, she’s still young and her life could go in any number of directions. She’s not exactly on her way to be a concert pianist. It’s just an electric piano that she mostly uses to write music, which is still pretty cool. You can see the progression of a small corner of her room on her YouTube channel.