lessons #51 to 54 (things i learned on lexington avenue)

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709 lexington avenue and its asymmetrical front door.

 

a few weeks back, i posted 50 things i’ve learned in 50 years.

i enjoyed gathering life lessons, but many didn’t fit in that list format. so here’s a different take: the stories behind what i’ve learned, and the people and places that taught me.

#51-54: the house at 709 lexington avenue (part one).

 

we moved into the house on lexington avenue on the ides of march, 2002, then spent five years doing it ourselves: knocking down walls,  hauling rubble, making a garden, learning the breezes and the light, the quiet spots and the neighbors. we took our time. every house has its secrets; the key to unlocking them is patient observation.

we turned utilitarian spaces into social spaces. a second-hand wood stove moved into the potting shed; the lawnmower moved out.  a new favorite spot for watching storms and sipping bourbon was born.

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the potting shed after its makeover. crank up the fire, throw open the doors, watch the snow fall.

we kept half of the attic for storage, but up front, where the dreamlike afternoon light was, we draped the ceiling with a parachute, covered battered floors with tattered rugs, piled up the velvet cushions, and created a fumoir, a secluded spot for tobacco, liquer, and tea so thick with honey that a spoon would stand up in it.

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the fumoir: a laboratory for the arts of leisure.

by 2007, we’d gone as far as we could on our own. the only walls left to move were load-bearing.  we’d also reached the limits of whimsy and improv. the loopy nooks were delightful retreats, but for the everyday, we wanted something more rigorous.

it was time to call in the architects.

the lessons:

#51. nothing beats patient curiosity. observation plus time equals insight.

#52. inhabit every inch. spend a few months moving your chair around. unexpected vantage points have magic in them.

#53. doing it yourself has limits; load-bearing walls and electricity can kill you.

#54. embrace the gay arts. a little drapery and some soft lighting go a long way.

(next week on lexington avenue: lessons that require an architect and the invention of imaginary bachelor chicken farmer named elmer.)

*most of the images on this site are my own, but for this lexington avenue series of posts, i’m grateful to billy hunt and his fine eye.