A sudden snow storm can lead to many discoveries. It is a brief period of time when everything goes quiet and is the perfect time to think about doing a bit of light housekeeping. Housekeeping is an all to seldom event in our office and tends to produce “finds”such as the one that occurred yesterday while going through the contents of an old desk drawer .
Some Architects keep cocktail napkin sketches and envelopes covered in notes as well as ,in this particular instance ,an old postcard purchased at a yard sale of Emily Post’s front door in Edgartown. Mrs. Post was a Society standard setter as well as a designer of houses, interiors and traditional New England gardens. She was extraordinary.
Her books on Etiquette are legendary…..but her books on colonial revival design , although lesser known , are filled with the same thoughtful reflection she brought to the world of good manners. Some could argue they are the same subject with the same outcome.
We enclose a series of old photographs from her book entitled “The Personality of a House” in hope that it will spark curiosity from our readers to explore this aspect of Mrs Post’s career in greater depth. She remains an inspiration to us at Judge Skelton Smith on a daily basis.
As an aside …..Emily surely would not have been an advocate of what today is commonly referred to as an “open concept” floor plan. She certainly would not have cooked dinner in the Living Room as current designers now promote! She is a woman after our own heart in this regard here at 16 Joy Street. We build houses with good manners and good humor at their core…..we are certain Emily would approve!
Judge Skelton Smith Architecture 