I love your perspective — thank you for sharing it. Slow traveling through Europe stops me in my tracks often.
I’ll find myself in places of staggering natural beauty, but staying in accommodations that are stripped down to the point of feeling… hollow. Not unbearable, just a strange absence I can’t quite name.
Reading your words helps me see it more clearly — it’s the missing detail, the lack of texture that leaves the space flat instead of alive.
Thank you. You remind me of a story I heard years ago: when asked by a passerby why he took such care in creating exquisite details on a gargoyle statue slated for the rooftop off a Cathedral of St. John the Cathedral Divine (NYC).
The passerby said, “Why go to all this trouble for something where no one will see?”
I love this!!! “True architecture is a labor of love, where builders dedicate themselves to the enrichment of society and the beauty of the world around them, even when it demands extra effort, time, or resources.” YES!!
I’m an architect and I started writing about this; about creating meaningful spaces because spaces also inform who we are! We are richer when the spaces we occupy are thoughtful and designed with intention. I wish trend gets replaced by character and culture.
Thank you for writing this, I’m so happy I came across it! Here’s one of my newsletters if you’d like to know more about me. The second one’s available in my page too!
Yes, regretfully we have moved away from detail, which I have also taken photos of, mostly I think because it is unexpected anymore, so it is always a surprise when you find it! The ornate detail on the door latch and several of these other items are really cool!
The two lamposts speak to me. I often see this juxtaposition, where something ornate from an earlier age is set against something bluntly utilitarian from our own. I reflect that the designers of the latter would hardly get away with such blunt inhumanity were it not for the moderating presence of the older things nearby. Thank heavens for the older things, that's what I say! They remind us that humans are (much much) more than cogs in a big old money-making machine.
The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement in St. Petersburg, Florida is dedicated to the pushback against mass production a century ago. I found so many exquisite details designed into daily household objects! https://www.museumaacm.org
This is so different and very lovely…I may well subscribe fully. I tend to read a bit more about a writer and their work before I subscribe. Are you a published author and if so, where might I find your work? All the best .. thanks
I love your perspective — thank you for sharing it. Slow traveling through Europe stops me in my tracks often.
I’ll find myself in places of staggering natural beauty, but staying in accommodations that are stripped down to the point of feeling… hollow. Not unbearable, just a strange absence I can’t quite name.
Reading your words helps me see it more clearly — it’s the missing detail, the lack of texture that leaves the space flat instead of alive.
Love this. Thank you so much!
Ah how beautiful! It takes the eye of the soul to see these things as it did to create them. Thank you!
Thank you Sheri 🙏🏻
James, I love everything you do and have recommended your site on my own.
I love these small details!
Your lovely photos energize my soul🥰🌈❤️😇🙏🦋
Gorgeous newsletter. Thank you.
Thank you so much!
Everything is exquisitely beautiful!😍
Amazing artifacts.
Absolutely beautiful 😍
Thank you. You remind me of a story I heard years ago: when asked by a passerby why he took such care in creating exquisite details on a gargoyle statue slated for the rooftop off a Cathedral of St. John the Cathedral Divine (NYC).
The passerby said, “Why go to all this trouble for something where no one will see?”
The sculptor replied, “God will see.”
StormSide knows the details are where truth hides, storms may shake the house, but it’s the smallest cracks that tell the real story.
I love this!!! “True architecture is a labor of love, where builders dedicate themselves to the enrichment of society and the beauty of the world around them, even when it demands extra effort, time, or resources.” YES!!
I’m an architect and I started writing about this; about creating meaningful spaces because spaces also inform who we are! We are richer when the spaces we occupy are thoughtful and designed with intention. I wish trend gets replaced by character and culture.
Thank you for writing this, I’m so happy I came across it! Here’s one of my newsletters if you’d like to know more about me. The second one’s available in my page too!
https://sabinehabib.substack.com/p/what-can-you-learn-from-transitioning
Yes, regretfully we have moved away from detail, which I have also taken photos of, mostly I think because it is unexpected anymore, so it is always a surprise when you find it! The ornate detail on the door latch and several of these other items are really cool!
The two lamposts speak to me. I often see this juxtaposition, where something ornate from an earlier age is set against something bluntly utilitarian from our own. I reflect that the designers of the latter would hardly get away with such blunt inhumanity were it not for the moderating presence of the older things nearby. Thank heavens for the older things, that's what I say! They remind us that humans are (much much) more than cogs in a big old money-making machine.
The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement in St. Petersburg, Florida is dedicated to the pushback against mass production a century ago. I found so many exquisite details designed into daily household objects! https://www.museumaacm.org
Love these details, they always bring a smile to my face. Especially the manhole covers.
This is so different and very lovely…I may well subscribe fully. I tend to read a bit more about a writer and their work before I subscribe. Are you a published author and if so, where might I find your work? All the best .. thanks