Question

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion) 02/08/2020 at 01:14 • Filed to: What's the opposite of embiggen?

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Is it just me, or would this property look much better if the landscaping was replaced with a simple grassy hillside? Seriously, picture it in your head. MUCH better, right? All those shrubs, bushes, and tiny trees look haphazard and as if they’re only there to fill a quota. And they clash with the more subdued sidewalk landscaping. I think I’d like the house quite a bit more if not for the chaotic gardening.

These are the thoughts that keep me up at night....

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 01:19

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i think it would look better as a lovely little hillside cottage...

but then i dont much like that modern style of house

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 01:20

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Yes.  It looks overgrown as is.  

gettingoldercarguy > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 01:21

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What does it look like in the spring and summer? 

fintail > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 01:23

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It would look better if it wasn’t a mcmodern box, too. There must be a lot of affluent locals here who love their work, as this “architecture” resembles office buildings and strip mall/bank branches etc to me.

The landscaping is pretty random, clump of this here, pile of that there.

DipodomysDeserti > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 01:27

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That house looks like it’s apart of a university annex in Flagstaff, Arizona. Par for the course for rich white people in the PNW.

DipodomysDeserti > fintail 02/08/2020 at 01:29

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There’s probably a white X5 sitting in the driveway.

AestheticsInMotion > gettingoldercarguy 02/08/2020 at 01:29

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Idk. Drag the saturation and hue sliders a bit to the right

AestheticsInMotion > fintail 02/08/2020 at 01:30

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The capacity for rooftop decks is the best part of the box design. Shame this house doesn’t have one

AestheticsInMotion > DipodomysDeserti 02/08/2020 at 01:32

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*Tesla and/or Range Rover.

The X5 is for the middle-class scum further down the road

facw > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 01:32

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Definitely would look better. It’s possible this will grow into something that looks more coherent as all those little grass tufts grow together. It’s also possible this will be lower maintenance and more environmentally friendly than a grass lawn. But right now it doesn’t look good.

fintail > DipodomysDeserti 02/08/2020 at 01:32

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Around here, bougie suburban drones trying to be edgy love Tesla.  I vote for an X and a loaded 3 or an S.  Maybe both white, for the Apple feel.

facw > fintail 02/08/2020 at 01:34

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I like modern houses, but I don’t like this  modern house. The windows look too busy, the divide down the center is too prominent, and the roofing is haphazard.

fintail > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 01:35

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Yeah, the randomly cantilevered roofline doesn’t aid in that.  I think there’s a wannabe mid-century attempt going on with that.

There’s a new construction mcmansion within view of my front room window, kind of transitional architecture in that 90s HK expat in Vancouver style , that has a little rooftop deck on one side - the sole redeeming quality of the house. I have yet to look up who owns it, but knowing this area, I have some guesses.

fintail > facw 02/08/2020 at 01:37

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You’d hate it here - this type of stuff is a plague.  Sometimes with a flat roof, but the randomly applied cladding and the in my opinion office building look is everywhere in more expensive neighborhoods.

facw > fintail 02/08/2020 at 01:46

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I often wonder if these sorts of buildings are designed by architects who have no taste, or if they are willing to compromise the integrity of their designs to meet the demands of clients who have no taste, or if these things are actually good and I just don’t get it. So many seem like they’ve seen stylish buildings, but don’t understand what makes them desirable, and so just throw features at the design creating a huge mess. It’s not really a problem limited to “ modern” designs though, neo-eclectic architecture is just as bad, just with more traditional elements being blended.

AestheticsInMotion > fintail 02/08/2020 at 01:46

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Issaquah Highlands are an interesting place. I can’t think of any other place where wealth is so literally “from the top down”. You’ve got your old houses on the outskirts of downtown,  the older apartments closer to the action , the new apartments above those, than the endless townhomes, followed by the massive three story townhomes, then the large houses crammed next to neighbors, climb a bit higher and you get these mansion-esque homes, and finally at the top of the hill the estates with actual property. And you can look down on each level if you find a good view point. Pretty crazy to see how visually distinct the levels are. 

I still say that Mercer Island has the most interesting mid-century customs in the area. What is it... West mercer Street? The one that feels like it would make for a perfect race track, winding along a tree-filled cliff above the water? I’d kill to do a house tour there. 

AestheticsInMotion > facw 02/08/2020 at 01:48

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I feel like a good window (and blind) redesign would go a long way in transforming the place for the better. 

Potentially ditch the center split entirely.... As for the roof... I got nothing. Flatten the top one and add a hottub and a BBQ area? 

fintail > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 01:57

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I always feel a little out of sorts when I am out there, which admittedly isn’t often. Same for Sammamish. Some of the developments seem more pretentious than Bellevue, and that’s a weird feeling, although Bellevue mostly isn’t arranged in such an orderly fashion . Somerset looking down on Newport is kind of like that - big sprawling stuff at the top, generally getting smaller as you descend, until it gets insane again in Newport Shores. Lakemont is kind of like that too, and when you’re there, you’re almost to Issaquah anyway. Kirkland and Bellevue seem to be a random mismash of postwar bungalows, 60s-70s ramblers and splits, and newer mcmansions.

East Mercer Way is especially winding and forested, with a lot of neat mid century places nestled int o the hillside. Fun road, but look out for the cyclists, it can be busy. Mercer Island is like a living museum of postwar residential architecture, I think if you look around, you can find anything.  Also has a hugely pretentious rep, but if someone gave me a house there, I wouldn’t cry.

fintail > facw 02/08/2020 at 02:04

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I think it is a mixture of two things - trendy, so clients like it, and easy to design, so architects like it. This doesn’t seem very creative to me, just an assemblage of long-done shapes. Clients who have no taste must be the driving force, I think for every rich person with good taste, there are 50 who lack it.

Around here, faux craftsman style revivals dominated the scene for maybe 20 years. Lately, it has been these mcmoderns along with a smattering of faux farmhouse styles, and a faux Tuscan here and there. It kind of makes me miss the faux craftsman stuff I once mocked, and I greatly prefer the more daring contemporary 70s-80s styles, although there was plenty of traditional style then too. The colonial revival stuff, eclectic and incorrect like you mention, still popular in some parts of the country, isn’t so common here.

ClassicDatsunDebate > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 02:13

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I like that place. It’s probably a nice place to live. It’s kinda cool looking. The landscaping is ok. I mean, it’s ok. I have no strong feelings either way.

SmugAardvark > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 02:14

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When we bought our house about 5 years ago, it was similarly landscaped, albeit on a MUCH smaller scale. They tried to sell us on the whole, “these are drought-resistant plants that are better for the environment.”

And sure, they might have been. However, they over-planted like crazy. So as soon as they began to grow up , they all began to choke out one another. Ripped it all out apart from one privacy shrub and one tree , laid down some sod, and now it looks wonderful.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 02:25

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Mate...if there was only grass in front of it then you’d see a lot more of it. The owners are doing you a favour.

I also really hope that is a commercial building and not someone's house...

gettingoldercarguy > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 04:47

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Yeah, if you have a lot of bulbs planted, etc. It may be by design.  Come spring it'll look really pretty.

Sovande > fintail 02/08/2020 at 06:07

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I was thinking the exact thing. Like a mix of modern and office building. 

MM54 > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 08:38

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Yes

shop-teacher > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 08:56

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I don't love the design of this particular landscaping, but I would like to see something better than this and more interesting than a grassy slope.

ranwhenparked > facw 02/08/2020 at 09:08

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The roof is what stood out to me, way too many angles i ts the modern equivalent of the overdone “nested gable” McMansion builders love. Would look much better with flat roofs all over

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 10:10

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It looks like bank branch, only with less color.

AestheticsInMotion > fintail 02/08/2020 at 10:22

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I forgot about somerset. The sunset views from up there are something else.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 02/08/2020 at 11:08

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All I see is leaks caused by wind driven rain.

fintail > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 11:53

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They understood siting when platting that development. Also a lot of nice older houses up there - from an era when one could be successful and affluent and build a new showplace <3000 sq ft with clean lines, single level frontage with a walkout basement, and uniformly high quality finishes. I went to an estate sale in Wilburton in a higher end 60s rambler that had terrazzo flooring throughout - I can’t imagine what that would cost to replace.

Speaking of MI and the architecture thing, I remembered this place, and the listing photos are still up - I love this thing, this is an ideal house in my eyes - fun unusual style, not unreasonable size, just need to finish some garage space and maybe a kitchen reno etc:

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Mercer-Island/9230-SE-33rd-Pl-98040/home/254201

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/08/2020 at 11:56

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Funny thing, leaky buildings are a real issue here, especially condos. A ~10 year old building a few blocks from me had to have its exterior cladding removed and the building covered in a tarp for months, and the building where I live also had an issue, the original builder was eventually sued, lost, and several months worth of repairs were needed.

Mid Engine > fintail 02/08/2020 at 12:10

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The tax bill would make you cry fer sure 

fintail > Mid Engine 02/08/2020 at 12:22

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I like Bellevue condos where the taxes are 1K/month and the carrying cost/HOA is another 1K/month.

Although as I understand it, tax rates aren’t bad here, it’s the huge values that get you.

Nom De Plume > facw 02/08/2020 at 12:41

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Honestly it has much to do with the decline in traditional housing materials quality. The long version plays out quite a bit differently, but for conversational purposes that idea has some go.

Nom De Plume > AestheticsInMotion 02/08/2020 at 13:23

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These are the thoughts that keep me up at night....

A.I.M. , a guerrilla gardening movement, has attacked local homes in recent months. Often without the owner noticing. An official account for the group informs this caused a restive spirit within their organization. Some homeowners have gotten quite up in arms over these unnoticed, and seemingly impossible, actions that now have the city investigating. Local engineering firms have been called in to help decide if it even safe to remove the installations...  

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 02/08/2020 at 14:32

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Seattle? I don’t remember where you are located.

My BIL built a very nice spec home in a canyon near here. They were up on the wall of the canyon actually, and got pounded by rain and wind . My BIL is a very skilled general contractor and was OBSESSIVE about flashing and was completely successful. What failed was a wooden door with a lattice of glass panels where the rain actually came in AROUND the panes.

Also, I stated on Facebook this morning a conclusion I'd reached: that the one bipartisan thing Donald Trump brought to Washington DC is Trump Derangement Syndrome.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/08/2020 at 16:35

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Yes, Seattle area, where it has rained continuously since January 2nd, the wettest streak in years. I usually don’t mind some rain, but this is getting old.

I suspect material quality can be worse than design quality. 

TDS is suffered as much by his supporters as by his detractors, just as an opposite way.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 02/08/2020 at 16:52

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I I'm fascinated with or fascinated by trying to open dialogue with people. Even more interested in that process than I am in the actual politics. It is remarkable to me how difficult this is. And most people really are not interested in dialogue, only in throwing grenades of the correct color. Rather than actually have some thought, which might risk discovering that your binary position is actually a decimal value... Binary thinking and false dichotomies would own us all.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/08/2020 at 17:43

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There are few open minds on either side. What gets me most is that the opposition is so eager to react and explode or to not offend anyone and be “civil”, that they forget the need to unify on their own side to defeat this shitshow. I blame the so-called left  every bit as much as the deplorable base.

Binary thinking with the same people coming out ahead no matter who wins, almost like this was in the game all along.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 02/09/2020 at 01:11

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False dichotomies. If you don’t like something about Trump, then perhaps you are pro-abortion.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/09/2020 at 11:47

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Not sure I get what you are saying.    Just saying I am tired of the opposition playing like idiots.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 02/09/2020 at 14:27

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Do you know the novel "The Grapes of Wrath?" There's a passage where the Joad Family arrives at a refugee camp and Ma Joad meets the "mayor" who greets her with nonsensical confrontative argument and leaves her scratching her head.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/09/2020 at 17:04

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It’s been a very long time since I touched the book or saw the movie.

It’d be interesting to see the reaction if a movie themed like that was released today - the rightist “I built it myself” crowd would be up in arms and screeching about Marxism or some other trigger word.