Brian did a fine job of teasing out various aspects of aesthetics, including the social class aspects (another reason I like this blog so much better than TOD … it acknowledges the sociocultural aspects of our lives). He didn’t talk much about the influence of advertising on what people think is beautiful, or on the “need” (of corporations) to convince us periodically that some other look would be much more stylish than what we have now. I’m old enough to have seen several “styles” of home decoration come and go as corporations go about their business of creating the conditions for higher profits. The current style leaves me cold (physically as well as as aesthetically).

One of the things that PO means is that we won’t have the money for constant changes in decor, nor will we have the physical resources, at least not if we humans would like to continue to be around in reasonable numbers. That suggests each of us needs to find a way to have a pleasing look out of few, and very long-lasting, things. Rather than make lots of new stuff, we might look into taking better care of what we have, and finding ways to trade among ourselves when we have excess to trade or need something we don’t have (or just want a different look for awhile).

This IS the way things work in my neighbourhood. My favorite neighbours, the ones who have taught me to garden, the ones who are my daughter’s guardians should anything happen to my hubby and I, visit us somewhat frequently, and we visit them. Their house is not fancy (in fact, there’s constantly something being repaired, whether the kitchen floor, a bathroom, what have you), it’s only partially tidy, but it feels comfortable to go in and sit down and have a beer (a glass of wine, in my case) and BS with them for a while. We have them over, massed around our tiny table, eating homemade clam chowder, or lasagna, or barbequed chicken on the back deck. Our house is far from tidy (not the great housekeeper my MIL is), but it’s home. And for years I’ve been working on replacing the cheap plastic and cheap press-board furniture with comfortable, wooden pieces. The wall-hangings may be a mish-mash, but they look beautiful and they help muffle sound and block cold a bit. And they cover the walls that we can’t paint. (Long story short, it’s a manufactured home and the wall-paper on the plaster-board walls just won’t accept paint, it peels or chips easily, even with layers and layers of primer.) Sure, there are things we’d like to do (peel out the nasty carpeting and put in wood floors, then add a couple of beautiful throw rugs), but it’s still home. And my daughter’s friends apparently think so too, as they have no problem coming in and rolling around on the floors with the dogs or sitting around our marred pine kitchen table for whatever baked goodies I’ve just made.

Thanks for putting into words what so many feel should be obvious and yet is so hard to express.

I’ve avoided this in my own home, preferring pieces that don’t match, have age (and wear and tear) or were found at auction. My hubby and I rebuilt our home, and it has a theme in the form of four squares repeated throughout – in the stonework on the doorsteps, in handmade rosettes over doorways, in the kitchen hardware, the door handles and switch plates. We reused a lot of the original house, because home to us isn’t a track home.

We’re still working out the cistern for rainwater collection and how to make that look good with the rest of the house, but you are correct, aesthetics mean a lot, and crap in the stores means nothing.

Sharon, I am new to your amazing, wonderful blog, so you may have answered this already — but how do you manage to get by without a refrigerator?

A beautiful thing is a beautiful thing no matter what its made of. Its like a splash of colour in the woods. It may turn out to be a rare and beautiful flower or it may be just an old tin can but the beauty came with its colour as we first saw it. Ugliness and disappointment only came with knowledge. Should we then say that the view is ugly?

Or to take another example – a hillside covered in wonderful yellow flowers. I would see it as ugly because it is a noxious weed but any outsider would only think how beautiful it was. (they did too). I now try hard to see it as beautiful but I still see noxious weed.

Its all in the eye of the beholder. The idea is to find what you think is beautiful and apply as much of it as possible to your life while always being aware that other people might think it ugly.

viv in nz

The oil of the seed of the flax plant, the same plant that gives us linen. Linseed oil has been used for many years as a preservative. On forged iron objects, I am told the smith would heat the iron just above warm, dip in linseed oil, wipe down and let dry. This is where much of the blackened iron appearance came from.

When making wood things, you can replace make-do, rough-cut items with seasoned wood, carefully worked and surfaced replacements. A coat of linseed oil gives a traditional finish quickly. After it cures, wax with a wax preparation or actual wax.

I toured a “Mennonite” house in Lancaster County, PA – a “plain” house. Nothing ugly or off-putting. Set out two more small bunches of flowers – cut or dried – and one or two candles in “duded up” containers, and the functional, well lit home would brighten even more.

I was in school during the 1960s and college in the early ’70s. Jeans were just farmer-wear. Unless someone that loved you embroidered on them.

I have a wall hanging my father latch-hooked during a “rest the heart” period. About 1976, I think. This was a kit – but the mat, materials, design could all be created if the kit were unavailable.

I like using my aquarium to generate *excellent* plant watering water. I haven’t figured out how to blow all that air, once the power drops, or to keep the tank warm for the tropical fish. I do know that the goldfish in my (unheated, often frozen-over) horse tank are four years old, and fun to watch.