discovering colonial america

Its no secret to anyone who knows me that one of my favorite pastimes is visiting historic homes. There are many values in visiting places of historic significance in your area, but it seems to me especially significant this year. I recently attended a lecture at the New York Design Center given by Elle Decor Editor in Chief, Margaret Russell and Elle Decor editor at large, Mitchell Owens as part of the New York Design Center's program "What's New What's Next @ 200 Lex." Also in attendance was Eddie Ross. While the lecture sought to highlight the design trends of the moment, Michell Owen's reminded all in attendance, "the future of design is in the past."   

Owens presented a compelling series of images of designs from the past and their contemporary counterparts. As a teaching assistant of Architectural History in college, the connections between structures of antiquity and the structures that ensued fascinated me. Every design responds to a collective history in some way - whether by reinventing a precedent or reacting to it. While a plethora of connections can be made at a critical level of investigation on this topic, the uniquely American take on designs at the turn of the 19th Century remain especially relevant today.

These photos are from a trip in September to Tryon Palace in New Bern North Carolina. While the style is borrowed from English taste, what I love about them is the spirit of invention they posses. The photo above, for instance, shows true American ingenuity of using flush mounted wood planks in lieu of more expensive stone. The nearly two centuries that have passed since this New Bern home's construction have revealed the materiality of the wood siding and the real charm of this home.

Borrow the idiosyncracies, pieces, forms, and colors from a historic home. Many styles integrate suprisingly well with contemporary, even modern, lifestyle. A shaker bench might blend perfectly in an urban loft. These pieces warm and enrich our homes and give a sense of place and history.  The historic homes in your area are a design treasure chest to be plundered.