Love Lasts: Dad’s Imprint on Our Homes
For Father’s Day, readers share dad-inspired stories of beloved chairs, sheds, ice cream-stocked freezers and more
Robin Breuer lost her father to cancer at only 13, but a reminder of him sits nestled next to her bookcase. “My most cherished memory is of sitting on his lap in this leather chair, while he relaxed after work with a martini, roasted peanuts and classical music,” Breuer wrote when we asked last week where Houzz users see their dads’ influence in their homes.
“Growing up, I always had a bit of hero worship for my dad. He seemed so intelligent, well-traveled and sophisticated, and this leather chair (from Norway, I believe) embodied all of those qualities,” she later told us via email. “I knew I had to have that chair in my home,” she said.
Eventually, Breuer was able to wedge the chair into the front seat of a friend’s car and transport it from New Jersey to her apartment in New York. “I was so worried when we moved it that a leg would break or the leather would tear, but it squeezed in the front seat perfectly,” she says.
“Now it sits prominently in my studio apartment, honoring his memory.”
“Dad chairs,” like Breuer’s, shown here, hold a special place in many homes (we’ve even explored the psychological root of their cultural prominence in the past), but they’re hardly the only visible vehicle for fond memories ahead of Father’s Day.
Much like the heartfelt recollections of mom that users shared last month, the responses our dad question evoked reflected a wide spectrum of personalities, passions and unexpected lessons. Here are a few more stories that stood out.
“Dad chairs,” like Breuer’s, shown here, hold a special place in many homes (we’ve even explored the psychological root of their cultural prominence in the past), but they’re hardly the only visible vehicle for fond memories ahead of Father’s Day.
Much like the heartfelt recollections of mom that users shared last month, the responses our dad question evoked reflected a wide spectrum of personalities, passions and unexpected lessons. Here are a few more stories that stood out.
Hollysmother shared this photo of a pie safe her father built for her home, a favorite piece among the many he made when he took up woodworking as a hobby in his 70s. “I see him everywhere in my home,” she wrote.
Dads Who Played Things
Many wrote of their fathers’ love for recreation and how those playful qualities linger in their own homes. Debra Skowron wrote that this pool table has driven design in multiple homes in the 40 years since her partner’s father made good on a promise to give it to his son, Joe, if he dedicated a room in his new home to it. The table has traveled to several homes and today anchors a space in Skowron and Joe’s newly finished house overlooking Florida’s St. Lucie River.
“Instead of a dining area, we made special room for ‘Dad’s gift of pool table,’” Skowron wrote. “Professionals said she didn’t need new felt, bumpers or slate! We did polish the balls and retipped a few sticks. They made ’em to last back then! We play every night, Joe uses his dad’s original stick and we love every ‘calculating’ moment of it!”
Many wrote of their fathers’ love for recreation and how those playful qualities linger in their own homes. Debra Skowron wrote that this pool table has driven design in multiple homes in the 40 years since her partner’s father made good on a promise to give it to his son, Joe, if he dedicated a room in his new home to it. The table has traveled to several homes and today anchors a space in Skowron and Joe’s newly finished house overlooking Florida’s St. Lucie River.
“Instead of a dining area, we made special room for ‘Dad’s gift of pool table,’” Skowron wrote. “Professionals said she didn’t need new felt, bumpers or slate! We did polish the balls and retipped a few sticks. They made ’em to last back then! We play every night, Joe uses his dad’s original stick and we love every ‘calculating’ moment of it!”
In Laurie Ackerman’s case, it’s golf that reminds her of her late father. Riding in his golf cart she inherited helps her “feel the close bond with my dad,” she says. Last summer she even had a small golf course, part of which is seen here, built in her backyard to celebrate his memory.
Dads at the Table
And then there were the dads that users remember from moments in the kitchen. A freezer reminds mandcsmamadee of the period in which their dad worked for an ice cream company, and their family always had plenty of ice cream on hand. “I often brought the neighborhood kids over for free ice cream,” mandcsmamadee wrote. Kristina sees her dad in any empty glass jar, as he used to save his for filling with his favorite snack: bread and milk.
User tdee56’s dad was a “man who appreciated a good meal.” When tdee learned to cook and hoped to impress her dad at a young age, it was a rough start. “For a while he would slyly push my food around so it looked like he ate it,” tdee wrote. “Then one day he ate the whole thing. I’m almost 60 and still smiling about that day.”
Dads at the Table
And then there were the dads that users remember from moments in the kitchen. A freezer reminds mandcsmamadee of the period in which their dad worked for an ice cream company, and their family always had plenty of ice cream on hand. “I often brought the neighborhood kids over for free ice cream,” mandcsmamadee wrote. Kristina sees her dad in any empty glass jar, as he used to save his for filling with his favorite snack: bread and milk.
User tdee56’s dad was a “man who appreciated a good meal.” When tdee learned to cook and hoped to impress her dad at a young age, it was a rough start. “For a while he would slyly push my food around so it looked like he ate it,” tdee wrote. “Then one day he ate the whole thing. I’m almost 60 and still smiling about that day.”
Dads Who Gave Things
Architect Maya Ardel-Maik recalled her father-in-law sitting daily and reading the newspaper in this armchair, which came from Germany in the 1930s and has stayed in the family.
Beth Williams loves having the brass cigarette case her father kept in his office for years after he stopped needing to store cigarettes. “He quit smoking when I was born in 1954 because even then he didn’t think it was good to smoke around a baby,” Williams says.
Architect Maya Ardel-Maik recalled her father-in-law sitting daily and reading the newspaper in this armchair, which came from Germany in the 1930s and has stayed in the family.
Beth Williams loves having the brass cigarette case her father kept in his office for years after he stopped needing to store cigarettes. “He quit smoking when I was born in 1954 because even then he didn’t think it was good to smoke around a baby,” Williams says.
Others shared memories of inherited WWII dog tags that have been repurposed into artwork, and passed-down toolboxes and tools.
A shaving table belonged to user Bonnie Martin’s father, Joe — who is still around at 98 and shown here — and his father before him.
A shaving table belonged to user Bonnie Martin’s father, Joe — who is still around at 98 and shown here — and his father before him.
Today it sits in Martin’s home entry, seen here.
Dads Who Taught Things
Beyond the physical pieces of furniture and works of art, the lessons learned from dad at home have stuck with readers. Motownmom learned that “your paint job is only as good as your tape job.” Squirrelyq still cranks up the music at home as an homage to Dad, who had a knack for playing DJ in their basement. Emwallace25 picked up what not to do after years of living in a home cluttered with Dad’s newspapers, books and magazines.
In some cases, a father’s knowledge even inspired a child’s future career path. Interior design pro eco-modpod says their whole house is inspired by Dad, who was an early proponent of energy-efficient design.
“He would have loved geeking out with me on the exterior mineral wool insulation, triple pane windows, reduced thermal bridging, ground and air source heat pumps, hydronic mini splits, ERVs, standing-seam metal roof to easily attach solar and the edible front yard! He was the first in his suburban neighborhood to put in xeric front yard and photovoltaic panels,” eco-modpod wrote. “It is with great love and appreciation that I remember him.”
Tell us: Read all the Houzzer dad stories here and join the conversation in the Comments below!
More
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Dads Who Taught Things
Beyond the physical pieces of furniture and works of art, the lessons learned from dad at home have stuck with readers. Motownmom learned that “your paint job is only as good as your tape job.” Squirrelyq still cranks up the music at home as an homage to Dad, who had a knack for playing DJ in their basement. Emwallace25 picked up what not to do after years of living in a home cluttered with Dad’s newspapers, books and magazines.
In some cases, a father’s knowledge even inspired a child’s future career path. Interior design pro eco-modpod says their whole house is inspired by Dad, who was an early proponent of energy-efficient design.
“He would have loved geeking out with me on the exterior mineral wool insulation, triple pane windows, reduced thermal bridging, ground and air source heat pumps, hydronic mini splits, ERVs, standing-seam metal roof to easily attach solar and the edible front yard! He was the first in his suburban neighborhood to put in xeric front yard and photovoltaic panels,” eco-modpod wrote. “It is with great love and appreciation that I remember him.”
Tell us: Read all the Houzzer dad stories here and join the conversation in the Comments below!
More
Father’s Day Extravaganza! 19 Glorious Man Spaces
10 Ways to Store That New Father’s Day Tie