iSTORY
She was bold, fierce even, in her thought process and approach when it came to home design. Imagine having Strawberry colored wood paneling in your bedroom and teal blue wood paneling in a TV room when others had brown paneling throughout their homes. Yes, this was the 60’s. My mother would eventually complete a correspondence Interior Design Course in the 90’s in order to renovate our home with an Asian theme. She was determined.
I also think of how the public image of the American family was paramount. The expectation to look a certain way and behave a certain way inside and outside one’s home was often expected to mimic one set or rules and one image. I reflect on that time. The expectation of neatness of the home at all times. Your home’s formality was often valued more than your comfort and functionality. The front room or living room for adults only or to look at, doilies under a lamp or any item on a surface, and a dining room that usually was not used or appeared very ornate. Have we changed in how we experience our interior spaces?
For me, my dream house was the Brady Bunch’s house. I later learned that I was not the only one. I also remember watching the Cosby Show. For me, it was not only the anticipation of how Claire dressed and the comedy of the show, but I wanted to know who were the artists of the amazing black artwork that hung on their walls, and the beautiful copper baking molds that hung on the kitchen wall in the Cosby’s house.