well my weekend was over this morning. i teach from sat-wed, so my weekend is thurs and fri, I've prolly mentioned that before. non eventful weekend. although I did watch a documentary on Antonio Gaudi, and I'm really excited because one of my stops this fall is Barcelona, and I can't wait to walk all around and search for the things I saw in this video. it was SHWEET. Nothing better than design tourism, I mean yeah I want to check out some gay bars there, but it's more about the country, using my spanish, and then the buildings, definitley. that reminds me of one of the two things I'd planned to see in India and accomplished. one was the Taj Majal, and the other was a Nehru exhibit designed by Charles and Ray Eames, and sure enough I found the original display in a nehru exhibit there on the convention center grounds in New Delhi.
Also I've seen a bridge in London in a lot magazines that sort of rolls up and then back out from the bank, and that is another must see when I get to London. that and the Tate Museum of course.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the new trend of having a "Media room" in a house, and I've decided I don't like the idea much. Probably cuase I'm a bit of a sentimental type and a bit traditional, and I hate the way that changes in our culture are so easily mandated by changes in technoloy, for example a separate room for the big screen tv or x box. I hope it's not a lasting trend though, I mean who wants to be stuck in some cave-like basement room or theatre. I'm sure it must be nice to have a whole extra room just for the movie or computer game entertainment, especially if you are in the movie business or constangly entertaining gamers or movie night parties... maybe.?.
But there is a romantic part of me that would rather just do it all in the family room or living room, where you can walk in and out to the rooms, or back and forth to the kitchen, or be heard playing games or laughing at movies. Also I love to put in a serious film like Woody Allen's "September" or "Interiors" on a rainy day where I can watch the movie from a warm comfy couch while seeing the rain outside the window or hearing the swish of cars drive by in the flooded streets out front. maybe watching tv and then hear the mailman on the porch outside. Or in the Winter, getting snowed in and sitting there under a blanket watching a long long foreign film like "Babbette's Feast" wasting away the day.... ahh nothing better. hmmm someome is getting homesick, glad I just have 2 months left... ha
UPDATE- I'm on this random topic because I've been reading a lot of magazines and considering what to do with my house or how I could add on a bit if I work here another year.
I do believe it's nice having no tv in the living room, but I think it's unrealistic to believe that room is going to be used as much to entertain. the trend of Armoirs is over where you could just hide the tv inside, although you still had the very large piece of furniture looming over the room, obviously with a tv inside. The flat screen tv can be hung or set on a sort of sidetable type of furniture, but even it's hung it's like right there as a focal point. And I'm not saying it has to be in the living room, I just like the idea of an accesible family room as part of the house and action for the entertainment...yes this is a sort of random post
1 comment:
One of my good friends has no TV in his living room. He claims that the living room is for human interaction and the tv distracts from that. I see his point. However, the theory does not include laptop computers. I find it a big turnoff when his guests are glued to their 'puters and barely engaged in conversation.
I was recently visiting a friend in the Boston area. We watched several movies on his very good equipment in his living room. Windows were open on this balmy Sunday morning. The street noise (it's a fairly busy residential street) was fairly distracting from the film. Whispering voices on the film were undoubtedly obscured by outside traffic and voices.
As media become more sophiticated, a controlled environment will be essential to the ultimate experience. Unfortunately, our homes that are 20 or more years old may not be well suited for the best viewing experience. Light weight flat screen sets can be placed and moved anywhere you want them but don't expect the same heart wrenching experience from Love Story in the "family room" with a half dozen guests, children and food preparation nearby. Well designed houses will accomodate all of these essential activities while separating them adequately.
Meanwhile, those of us who can't afford to design and build a properly designed, modern home will have to make do with the spaces that we have, modifying them as we can for the best environment we can manage.
How did you flip into this topic, anyway?
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