Privilege Blog

Reader’s Choice: “New England High WASP, Meets Swedish Empire, Meets Santa Barbara Semi-Tropics”

Susan wrote me to suggest this post from the archives. Thank you Susan. It’s my mother’s house, in Santa Barbara. You will read references to chaos. My stepfather had returned early from the hospital after emergency heart surgery and I had driven down to help out. As we do in my culture when faced with extreme events, I focused on furniture.

For more photos like this,

take a look here.

My stepfather has fully recovered.

12 Responses

  1. I read what I wrote way back… and still feel the same. A lovely living room,
    spacious and airy.

  2. I hadn’t seen the original post, so it was nice to see your mom’s home. My mom lives there as well, and it’s really a special place. Your mom’s home is very beautiful and love that she made the tile for the fireplace surround.

  3. Clicked back on that old post and was tickled to see I’d managed to be the first to comment. And, as Mette says above, I still agree with my comments at the time — a lovely, light-filled room into which you are gracious to allow us a peek. Glad to hear that your stepfather has recovered.

  4. Thank you for the glimpse inside of your mother’s beautiful house. It looks almost exactly how I would expect it to look. I’m always thrilled when I manage to share anything in common with you, and in this case, it’s the Murano glass candy!

  5. Oh yes, I love this post too.

    I particularly like the meeting of two families, and two histories and heritages, seen through the juxtaposition of pieces similar and yet so different. I am especially taken by two the clocks, the breath-catching simplicity of the Tiffany one, and the surprisingly (to me) opulent Swedish clock.

    Please do thank, again, your mother and stepfather for their generosity in sharing a small glimpse of their beautiful house!

  6. (“by two the clocks” should read “by the two clocks”. Sometimes I can touch-type too fast for my own brain, particularly when it is lulled into languor by too many night shifts. Apologies). P x

  7. I’m grateful he has recovered; I recall the original post, full of fond concern. How in the world did your mother an stepfather meet? A rhetorical question- or a request for one of your eloquent stories.

  8. The living room is so inviting with the sun streaming in and the comfy sofas beckoning. What a beautiful home! Thank you for sharing and I wish your stepfather a speedy recovery.

  9. Ugh, those desks are a challenge to deal with. Hardly anybody, even 80 y/o mothers sit down with their correspondence. The desks I’ve dealt with have odd tops, a laptop won’t really perch on them and no place for a printer. I have found that 80 y/o mothers use printers. What to do with the old writing desk?

  10. Lovely desk, and I’m glad you stepfather is faring better. I smiled at the Santa Barbara reference; my dad’s family has been there for over 200 years. I was born and raised in San Francisco, but lived in SB for several years. It is a special place indeed.

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