I admit it, there are many eye-candy architectural styles that I ogle while visiting another state. First, when I think of California, I may daydream about a mid-century modern abode in the Hollywood Hills or a Spanish-tiled roof on a Monterrey ranch. Second, there’s New England. When I think about Connecticut or Massachusetts, I can picture myself for a brief moment eyeing a saltbox style home, a colonial or cedar shake shingles and wondering what life would be like inside. However, for me, the Southern architectural styles I grew up with always make me feel the most welcome, homey and nostalgic.
In Charleston, it’s the Georgians and Federal-style Southern architecture that never bores me even after standing strong for hundreds of years. In New Orleans, the Creole townhouses or the behemoth beauties of the Garden District captivate me every visit. However, I know I’m Two-Sided Southern when I’m in my hometown of Atlanta. The small turn-of-the-century bungalows of Decatur and Candler Park delight me as much as the ornate Victorians of Inman Park. The Greek revival homes with their stately white columns across Middle Georgia are as pretty to me as the smaller tudors with their sloping roofs that have been left untouched around my neighborhood of Lake Claire and Druid Hills.
In other words, I sort of love all of them. Like a lot.
My husband sometimes asks to drive instead of me when we’re going through town because if I’m behind the wheel I pay more attention to pointing out my favorite southern architecture styles than watching the road. For instance, when I’m out for a walk, I take pictures of them like they are family photos. I can’t help it.
I fantasize that for my next career I will learn all about the people who lived in these homes and the southern architects that built them and start a historical home tour for all my friends driving around in a fancy van. They can sip on cocktails while I take the mic and tell them all about what happened behind those four walls. Of course, they will talk over me and enjoy gossiping about the latest what nots, while they get tipsy. But I will ignore that and keep telling stories about these homes I love so much. (Sigh.)
Similarly, I adore all the people that restore these historic homes instead of tearing them down. They are preserving a piece of history. I drive by a 1914 Neel Reid mansion in Druid Hills on the way home from work (pictured below) and I always cruise by really slow to get a good look at it. A friend of mine used to own it and it’s truly remarkable. Reid actually designed it and lived in it for a year. Every time I got to hang out there, I’d stare at the lattice work, the enormous staircase, the eaves and picture Reid living there in old Atlanta surrounded by all the wondrous detail.
It’s like my friend Elizabeth Dupree Lynch who recently sold her 1930s Philip Shutze Buckhead home. She had taken such great care in preserving the details and renovating it with the exact historical specifications that he had in the original home. You can read about the great efforts she went to here. I always felt so grateful that I had a chance to spend time with her in that special home. It’s a stunning example of southern architecture.
Ok, I’ll stop gushing now. In addition, I don’t know if anyone else is a Southern architecture and home dork like me. However, if you are, you’ve come to the right place. Big, small, opulent or cutesy… I can’t help it. I’m a fan. (Ok one more fave below. I’m thinking I need a light pink door next!)
