And Even More Space....

Remember the 1980s and the stock market boom?

Remember the 1990s and the triumph of the techno moguls, venture capitalists and the dot com industry?

Image from angel group network

Have you sat through an episode of The Real Housewives on Bravo TV?

All that new money floating around. What to do with it?

Spend it lavishly, of course. Just like the robber barons did in the 1890s. Only with a new twist. As flashy as they were, the robber barons at least had the sense to hire well trained architects. They knew how to create impressive houses. Unfortunately, today’s very new rich know only how to create McMansions. At least hire an architect and an interior designer who can give expression to the dream of tasteful imperial grandeur. These houses look tacky, without any really discernible taste or style.

The very new rich wanted better houses than what they grew up in. Never mind that the size of the average new home grew almost 50% in the last 30 years while the size of the average family diminished.

Bigger was still better even when there was no point in building bigger. 5,000 square feet simply didn’t cut it. It was too small. There were just too many new gadgets to buy. Almost overnight, these appliances took up more space. There were numerous cars all needing their own garages. The new wealthy people simply had to have room in their houses to store all the electronic stuff.

At the same time, developers were keen on finding ways to generate “character” in these generic looking houses. Something really eye-grabbing. Something really ostentatious.

So they tried a little bit of everything that represented a borrowing of the past to satisfy the cravings of the future: Neo-eclectism -- Neo-French, Neo-Tudor, Neo-Colonial, Neo-Mediterranean, Neo-Mission, Neo-Victorian, Neo-classical Revival. A collision of architectural styles that have been further watered down and reinterpreted.

Brick or stone veneers were used to cover up cheap materials. After all, people driving by only looked at the front of the house. People mostly drive by to obtain a quick impression. There are no porches. How old fashioned! Porches mean that people can’t afford air conditioning. In the old days, fathers and grandfathers of the very newly rich sat on their porches to escape the heat and visit with their neighbors.

Where is the front walkway?

Nobody does that anymore. And why should anyone create a space between the privacy of the house and the public street that might function as an invitation? Don’t even think of putting in a sidewalk, we are a car culture; people making their way through the neighborhood on foot are immediately suspect.

Hello? Is anyone even home?

Two story entryways, numerous car garages, double height family rooms, master bedroom suite with sitting areas and whirlpool tubs and a separate room larger than the larger normal living room to be used as a closet.

Why does the furniture always try to mimic “antiques” but are clunky in form, have poor execution in craftsmanship, are made from inexpensive materials, have blinding shiny surfaces, and stylistically make no sense?

Why do all the kitchens in these McMansions have to follow the same formula?

Is this even necessary?

McMansions… devoid of any style and short on substance. A waste of needless consumption in gentrified suburban neighborhoods. Does this reaffirm anyone's belief in modesty, editing and good taste?