Tuesday 15 May 2007

"Wedding Cake" style house



This house sits next door to a little Victorian cottage (see below), which is on the local Heritage List. In 100 years' time, will "Wedding Cake Style" be viewed with the same affection as this small cottage, and the large Victorian I showed yesterday? Bear in mind that until very recently, many of the larger Victorians were seen as ugly and useless and demolished. I suppose it asks you to make a value judgement about taste and style. Tastes change, and the value placed on "the old" changes too.


These "look at me" style houses are being built not only in newly developing suburbs, but are popular in older suburbs where people buy old houses, demolish and rebuild. . Often they are built by immigrants from 30-50 years ago, who have made a successful new life in Australia. These house shreik "status". Some social pundits reckon they're all about letting the people back in the old country know what a successful life has been made in the new country.

This one is better than some - at least the garage doesn't completely dominate the entire front of the house.

Notice the little faux gable, with a nod to Federation (early 20th century) style!


14 comments:

  1. In one respect I would love to live in a large house (not this one tho--a HUGE Victorian instead), but smaller is cozier and a lot less work!! To each his own I guess!

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  2. c'est une belle maison, mais elle est vraiment tres differente de celle d'hier (que je prefere)


    it is a beautiful house, but it is really very different from that from yesterday (which I prefer)

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  3. Wow! What a cute house! I would like to have a house like this.
    Seda

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  4. Bet a Greek family live there. My understanding is that Greeks seem to go for the slightly over the top design, as you say to show off their success.

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  5. Oh my Sally, you picked a beauty!
    What can I say? Sigh?
    Or else laugh maybe?

    I've never gotten around posting one of those but someone's got to do it, I guess. Congratulations on your bravery LOL

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  6. Your Wedding Cake title is JUST RIGHT

    We should edit the photo and use photoshop to add a little plastic couple atop the roof; what do you think ?

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  7. Well, this house is a little more restrained than some, but... Would you say that appeal is not the only thing, perhaps every style counts in the long run. I've had thought i'd photo more houses/styles around here but..., also do this in country towns all over, each town often has small themes in the details.

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  8. Nice photograph. I like this house as much as the older one you showed the other day.

    Have your ever seen the top of two Hondas?

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  9. I really do like the "look at me" tag. That's very clever, Sally. They could put "go-faster", stripes on the house to match those on the limo parked out the front.
    These houses shriek out, "features". One can't have enough features. It's a word that's hard to get out of your head.

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  10. Nathalie is correct, a plastic couple, BUT with electric flashing eyes (featured) !

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  11. I din't know that in Oz, some houses were made of Lego...

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  12. i just laughed and laughed when i read the title and saw the picture.

    wedding cake. good one!

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  13. The wedding couple would have to be accompanied by 24 attendants. Yes, yes yes, M Benaut - go faster stripes!

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  14. We have a monumental new wedding cake house alongside a beautiful federation home in our street too. I cringe every time I walk past.

    gail's man,
    It's not necessarily a Greek family in that house. Lebanese, Macedonian and Italian, all build similar monumental houses. The Chinese have a saying 'Same, Same, But Different'.

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