Time Travel to Houzzers' Childhood Homes, Part 1

Peek into home design's past and share the memories of Houzz community members with these personal photos and stories

January 24, 2013
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected." I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
Comment47
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The response you Houzzers had to our call to share the homes you grew up in has been wonderfully overwhelming. I have spent a lot of time reading through all of your memories, and I suggest everyone else do the same. If you want to take a break from work or give yourself a reward, just sit down with your laptop or iPad and enjoy the photos and stories.

I'll be doing several installments over the next few weeks so that each story can get its due. They are in no particular order and include homes in a range of styles and sizes, in widespread locations. Enjoy!
Houzzer childhood homes
Detroit. This is one of Houzz user ikwewe's childhood homes (she's the baby in this picture, which shows four generations), a post–World War II tract house in the Brightmoor neighborhood of Detroit. Built in 1946, the home originally had lime-green clapboard siding with salmon trim.

"I grew up in four different houses, a brand new tract postwar bungalow, a rented Queen Anne, a really flimsy older bungalow and a 1940s colonial," she says. "The first one was our foundation family home. My parents put so much into it in the seven years we lived there, finishing the attic, redoing the kitchen, redecorating, putting in new siding. It was only 722 square feet, with two bedrooms, one bath, a living room and an eat-in kitchen."

She continues, "Back in those days, no one except the people in mansions really had a lot of living space. Big families were raised in little houses. The huge spaces in houses these days are beautiful, there is no doubt, but when all is said and done, all that space is a luxury."
houzzer houses
Philadelphia. "I grew up in a historic trinity house [a three-story house with each floor containing one room] in the Queen Village section of Philadelphia," says Houzz user lindalaska.

"It was probably only about 800 square feet; the kitchen and second bedroom had been added on at some point, the fireplace still had the iron hardware in it to hang pots and cook, and there were no doorknobs — it still had the black metal latches. To this day I can run up and down turned steps with no problem.

I took this picture last year, and it hangs in my living room now. Coincidentally, this house and my current house both have navy blue doors."
Houzzer childhood homes
Medford, Oregon. "'Classic charm' is what the local newspaper said once about my childhood house," says Jane Engel about her childhood home. "As a child I saw it more as a fun place to explore ... the open attic was a giant playroom, the dumbwaiter, turned into a wood lift, was a great place to put my baby brother and crank up and down between floors (until my mom abruptly put an end to it!), the basement was always creepy, except for my dad's workbench that had formerly been a bar, and housed curious tools, and the yard that seemed enormous when it was my turn to clip the lawn edges, and pick up acorns around all 24 trees! The family that bought the house after us are still living in it and have remained friends. It's a treat to stop by every few years and feel home again."
Houzzer childhood homes
Hawthorne, California. "My grandparents bought this on a half-acre lot in the mid-1940s," says Houzz user Dawn. "From my understanding, the previous owner tended an orchard. The strangest part of the house was a three-sided pantry area just large enough to stand in on a stepladder that vented through the floor and to the attic. It was called the cooler. Consequently, I too am partial to modest homes on large lots with lots of trees."

She describes, "It was located in Hawthorne, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. It was on the same street as the diner used in the movie Pulp Fiction. The original Beach Boys were from Hawthorne. There was nothing spectacular about this house; my grandpa did most of his own repairs, add-ons etc. The place was home to four generations — my two kids lived there with my mother and I. That old house served us well, but she was tired; it was time to let her go."
Houzzer childhood homes
Des Moines, Washington. "This is the home of my heart, around 1952 in Des Moines, Washington, south of Seattle near where the end of the Sea-Tac runway is now," says Houzz user Fl!p Breskin. "The house still stands, and I sometimes drive by. Both my sister and I bought similar houses when we grew up. Later we lived in a ranch in the burbs, but this one was home."
Houzzer childhood homes
Breskin included this happy interior shot, saying, "Mom made all the slipcovers for the furniture, and most of the cowboy outfits as well (except the hats). Our current 1905 home is 1,200 square feet. I think this one was smaller — two bedrooms: one for parents, one for three kids. When we moved I was promised my very own room. Imagine my shock when they wanted me to sleep in it all alone by myself!"
Houzzer childhood homes
Temple, Texas. "I love the house I grew up in, because it reminded me of a Frank Lloyd Wright house — open, lots of glass, built around trees ... " says Houzz user cucolo of her childhood home, which was built in 1961. "It sat up on a hill and felt very private. The bedrooms were totally separate from the living areas, so the kids could be in one end of the house while the parents entertained in another. Loved it!"
Houzzer childhood homes
Here's a peek inside cucolo's midcentury modern home. The architect was Vail Logdson, of Logdson and Voelter Architects.
Houzzer childhood homes
Pawtucket, Rhode Island. "Here's the new house I grew up in with my brothers and sister. It was built in 1966," says Houzzer normpo. "That black spot is Laddie, our dog. He was part collie and part German shepherd. He was a wonderful dog! We had fun in that house. My mother still lives there today."
Houzzer childhood homes
Chicago. "My mother, a design nut, worked with an architect on our Chicago area home in the '50s. It was Miesian in concept but not as strict in its application," says whalerwoman. "It's a house that would stand up today against any I've ever seen. The materials were natural — white oak, stone, brick, cork and glass. The house faced mostly south, had an open floor plan, was light filled with floor-to-ceiling windows, and had the master suite on the first floor."

She continues, "The wonderful kitchen was a workable galley style, with stainless appliances and sink, brick backsplashes, custom wood cabinets and open to the living areas. The whole house was ahead of its time. It has inspired me for 60 years to appreciate and notice good residential design. This house was relatively small but had everything we needed — just enough space, an abundance of sunlight and a casual presence." Unfortunately, this wonderful house was torn down in the '90s to make way for "a 5,000-square-foot faux-colonial McMansion," she says.
Houzzer childhood homes
Tarrytown, New York. "I grew up in a Dutch colonial in Tarrytown, New York. My memories of that great front porch have followed me," says karenfromkatonah. "There is just something about a porch!"
Houzzer childhood homes
Ipswich, Queensland. "I grew up in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, and this is a typical modest postwar house: high on stilts (better cooling and good in floods), wide verandas (often later enclosed), latticework, louvered windows and a corrugated iron roof," says vivapam. "A strong memory is hearing the rain beating down on the roof in a tropical thunderstorm."
Houzzer childhood homes
Napa, California. The house I grew up in was built in the mid-1950s in Napa, California," says Houzzer laurajg. "The house is still especially loved, because the architect was my father. Our house was furnished with now-iconic furniture (Eames chair and Nelson benches etc). This beginning definitely influenced the type of design I still love."
Houzzer childhood homes
Here's a peek inside laurajg's midcentury modern childhood home.
Houzzer childhood homes
Manhasset, New York. "I have very fond memories of my early childhood home in Manhasset, New York," says Bill Vandersteel. "Having to move away when I was only 10 makes the longing all the more fervent. My father bought it from the original owner, who built it as a summer house in 1929. My mother had it whitewashed, and my father painted the shutters in a traditional Dutch pattern."
Houzzer childhood homes
Omaha, Nebraska. "Until I was 9, we lived in a Queen Anne Victorian in Omaha, Nebraska. It was built in 1895," says Houzz user agiesbrecht. "It was gorgeous and wonderful, but wasn't really big enough — yes, really! It had only three bedrooms, and the neighborhood wasn't safe for kids to wander around. Then we moved to a lovely oversized ranch on two-thirds of an acre and lots of trees. I miss 'the old house' (as we call it) and its beautiful details — brass hardware, a curved staircase in a tower, tall windows — and I miss having a bedroom under the eaves. I prefer the Arts and Crafts style now, but the richness and beauty of the old house's architecture influences my taste in design."
Houzzer childhood homes
Tigard, Oregon. "I grew up in my father's family home on Grant Street in Tigard, Oregon. It was a Dutch colonial that my grandmother had designed, complete with basement and attic," says Linda Kurth. "On rainy days, we kids had plenty of space to play."
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The setting also provided lots of fond memories for Kurtz. "Situated on 2 acres, there was also a small barn that became our playhouse, large trees to climb, wildflowers, picnics in the 'park' and a large garden. I believe my love of Arts and Crafts architecture and furnishings, and the desire to create my own little wildflower retreat are a result of living in that magical place and time," she says.
houzzer houses
A hamlet near the Welsh border. "In the early part of World War II my mother took us three children away from the bombing in the London area to a remote hamlet near the Welsh border," says Houzz user adastra123. "This was taken in 1941 when we children were 10, 7 and 4 (me!)," she says. "What did people eat? Strict rationing was in place, with very meager amounts of meat, butter, eggs, canned goods — not enough to gain extra weight on but adequate!"

She describes, "Living close to a working farm, we were probably in a better position than many to be the recipients of a few extra rations and fresh veggies. Families with young children received concentrated orange juice and a concoction of cod liver oil and malt — delicious, I thought!"
houzzer houses
"For several years we lived here in Old Church Cottage, so called because it was adjacent to the 12th-century church which still stands today, as does the cottage itself," adastra124 continues. "There was no running water, no indoor plumbing, no heat, gas or electricity. Lighting consisted of candles and hurricane lamps. The floor of one bedroom was on such a slope that the bed had to be propped up to stop it sliding about. My mother fetched water from a well on a nearby farm. She cooked on a Primus, and the place was heated with a kerosene stove which made patterns on the ceiling. My husband and I visited a little over a year ago, my first time back in nearly 70 years. The cottage is now a lovingly restored 'bijou residence,' although not much can be done without permission since it is 'listed.' The bedroom floor is still on a tilt!"

Your turn: Houzzers, get out your photo albums and scanners and keep them coming! Add your childhood homes and memories to the Comments section below or in the original Houzz Call.

Next: Create a "Forever House" Connection
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Cindy Littlejohn
These are wonderful stories and photos. My husband's father worked for Sears, and they moved the family nine times before my husband turned fourteen. We are both semi retired now, and we have been discussing a vacation to find his old homes. All of them are in the southeast from Virginia to Florida and as far west as Mississippi.
   
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Paulette Richard
Nice to see others living in the house they grew up in. I came back home and bought the house I grew up in several years ago as we had 35 acres of land with the house 10 minutes from the city. It was built in 1951 as a typical post-war house with double living rooms, very small divided rooms. We renovated several times and even had a major flood we had to recover from. Is is only 1800 square feet of living space on the main level and second floor. Here a a few pictures of what it feels like inside.
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Sue Martson
Why would you put your sibling in the wood lift? We waited until Mom went to the grocery store.
   

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