Rubia's Profile

Patrick, the tone of your comments seems really confrontational. As I said in my comment, I am not commenting specifically on this apartment (and I think it is kind of rude when people do talk disparagingly about a tour, as these are real people's houses, and I would feel pretty hurt to hear a bunch of people trash my home). You just asked "what do people mean when they say 'lived in'" and we have tried to answer. I think what people are noticing about this apartment, which isn't a criticism of the apartment, is that everything seems new and bought in the same time frame, and very consciously goes together. As time goes by, and the "patina of age" that another poster mentioned builds, this may change. Or maybe not if this is how the owner prefers it. Some people like it one way, some another.

Not commenting on this tour specifically, but in answer to the question of what makes a home looked lived in: I am looking around the room I am in right now, and of course if I had a home tour coming, I would neaten up. But things that make this room personal to me

-the stack of books on the side table and floor

- In a room of otherwise nice furniture,the side table is a beat up victorian cream colored job with gold trim (looks very similar to the one getting the tin foil job in another post), I think salvaged from an old hotel that I got for $5 at a thrift store for my very first apartment, that is probably only charming to me and has sentimental value for me as the only thing that has traveled through all my homes all over the country.
-Obviously, I would neaten my desk, but I would leave a few things out: the stack of gardening books and three packets of seeds, the collection of language dictionaries belonging to my husband (the language professor) because they really say something about who we are.
- On top of my tall dresser are a saltware pitcher made in Colonial WIlliamsburg, a gift from my grandmother who lives there, a wooden bowl that was a gift from someone, and a large stick that I took away from my toddler this morning after he hit me with it. Not one item you would find in a store, they don't match or make a charming staged vignette, but all very personal.
-across the foot of my bed is a blanket that I bought when living in Brazil that probably doesn't exactly go with everything, but does too, in a not trying so hard sort of way.
-I would certainly take down the gigantic brightly colored ocean scene bath towel that is being used to block out early morning sunshine since they were out of black out curtains on my last trip to the store. That wouldn't look good in a photo shoot. But it certainly is a current "personal touch" in my space!

Personal means items that weren't just collected for how they look in this particular space. Most of us have moved, and spaces change, and we fit what we had plus some new things into the space. And we throw out some pieces that don't work, but also keep some pieces that don't work, just because.

After I lived here, I moved one block up to 918, another duplex. That was favorite apartment EVER. If it opens up you should nab it. Your stuff would look even better there. And there's a fireplace. And they let you paint the walls.