A category came up on Jeopardy this past Friday that I knew alarmingly little about: Home Renovation. The terms came fast and heavy at me and I was not prepared for it, combinations like "tongue and groove" flooring baffled me even though we just paid a hefty sum to put new floor tiles in our home, "farmhouse sink" and "subway tiles" were like a different language to me.... I did know what a kitchen island was, the $200 (easiest clue). Looks like I need a lot of work.
Since I've always lived at my parents' home or in different apartments that were already set up, I've never had to worry about interior design, or home renovations.....the unit comes as is, and I accepted it as is. Which is where MJ and I totally see things differently: she has our own style of living that she'd like to impose upon her place that designs who she is, just like clothes and art define her, whereas I've never felt the need to define: I'm not a dictionary! But I understand the need to. Whenever I go to an art museum, I am fascinated by the layout of the museum and the design of the museum itself, often more impressive than the artwork itself. Whether it's the grand majesty of the Met, the unique circular design of the Guggenheim museum, or the recently-visited U-shape of the Uffizi in Florence, I remember museums by what I'm seeing walking through the museum. Speaking of the Uffizi, I'm a big believer now in Sandro Botticelli's work now: I prefer the Primavera to the Birth of Venus, although both just contain such exquisite detail and life-size drawings of human figures that really exemplify the Renaissance Age. The way the Uffizi presents these 2 paintings in 2 back-to-back rooms is exactly what I mean about interior design mattering: Right after taking in the Primavera in one giant wall (there are other minor works of Botticelli also surrounding the work, visitors go directly to the next room and immediately face the Birth of Venus; there are actually spots between the rooms that one can see both masterpieces to compare and contrast. Brilliant design for 2 brilliant pieces of art.
MJ and I are looking into both kitchen and bathroom remodeling: our shower room floor needs to be completely replaced, and certain areas of the kitchen need to be redone like the lights and possibly the countertops. (We're not fancy enough to have an island in the kitchen, although that may be a long-term goal). As much as I cringe whenever MJ mentions needing to repair something (it triggers in me an instinctive response to wonder what the financial damage will be) I do admit that my everyday loving is improved by many of the interior design selections we've gone with, including the hardwood floors which are definitely an improvement on carpet floors that we've had in the past. We're not trying to recreate the Uffizi, but to at least make it impressive for any potential guests we might invite to our home, or at least make it impressive to ourselves since we spend so much of our lives here in these rooms. I feel like one of the art museum employees who guard the artworks during the day from prying visitors: I am in the presence of great artwork, but I am stuck in it all day so I don't appreciate it after a while!
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