Dear Reader
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I am finding in my middle years that there is joy and an action of the soul in having just a few precious things and taking good care of them. Ten years ago, if the roof of our 1938 house had problems, I would have bitterly complained about spending money on this old house. Now especially if I can get a roofer to call me back I have a sense of stewardship about my home and more of a Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance take on its care and upkeep. If you are under 30, you have no idea what I am talking about. Someday, if you’re lucky, you will.
All of this comes to mind because in this issue D Home publishes a recap of the 2002 Preservation Park Cities Tour of Homes.
In putting together this section, which was made possible by our generous sponsors, what moved me were the homeowners I met as we photographed the homes. They were as different as they could be: an SMU professor, a yoga teacher, a Neiman Marcus executive, an interior designer, a young mother, and a well-known retailer. But the operating principle for each of them as they renovated and remodeled was respect: they respected the architecture and materials of the original home. They respected the people who had lived in the home before them, and they respected the people who would follow.
In a time and place where we value disposability and have companies with names like Rooms to Go, it is an inspiration to be with people who approach their homes as sacred spaces, who are willing to take the time and expend the energy to design right and build right, and who are willing to preserve an aesthetic for the sake of beauty alone.
I learned a lot from the tour of homes, and I hope you will, too.
Have a blessed holiday season.
Cordially,
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CHRISTINE ALLISON
editor and publisher
[email protected]
