Hopeless Romantic. Grounded Realist. Jaded Cynic.
"The house used to be two separate dwellings. Now, one belongs to Tim and one to Helena.
Each has its own very distinct decor: hers is girly, vintage and chintzy, while his is a gothic melange of 'skeletons and weird things' and floor lights in neon shades. Each partner has their own television, their own Sky Plus and their own kitchen - although Tim's is barely used.
At night they sleep in their respective dwellings. Not only is Tim an insomniac who likes to pace and watch TV, he says that she talks too much and that he needs some peace and quiet away from her. And anyway, counters Helena, he snores.
And yet there is the occasional blurring of boundaries since Helena has a craft room in Tim's half of the house where she likes to print hearts onto fabric and stitch ribbons onto mob caps.
She has, as followers of her distinctly 'shabby-chic' style will testify, a weakness for fripperies such as broderie anglaise and bobbles.
The two studio houses are joined by a ground level communal room, which is essentially a very grand hallway. Recently, a third home was purchased in the street which is home to the nanny and the couple's two children, Billy Ray, six, and Nell, two."
yes. just yes.
it's a total throwback to victorian era living arrangements. well at least among the wealthy upper class that is. just a modernised version. from what i read, the houses contain two or three separate wings or sections, each one would be the domain of one half, while the other stays clear of designated areas. the rooms for example, men can be found either in the study or libraries, womenfolk, parlours entertaining or saloons to knit or any other activities that women typically did those days. super awesome.
no, seriously, i know it's not quite uncommon for rich couples even now to have separate quarters to themselves, sharing only certain parts of the house, kitchen maybe, (though i think only servants or paid workers can be found there). even the bedroom's optional.
this is merely a developed version from existing and past models.
damn, just imagined the possibilities. endless.
the decor alone.
and you can get all messy or tidy as you nature demands without subverting them because you happen to share some tiny apartment or building..
just two words though.
no unnecessary compromises for the sake of uncertain relationships.
no.more.haggling other's spaces.or very real risk of suffocation. and definite claustrophobia.
did i hear a hallelujah there? yup.
it would slow down the natural process of boredom and sense of banality out of over-exposure that sours down every relationship and spells the end of said relationship, that is certain to be accelerated by a romantic and mostly conventional method of cohabitation.
it's got the best of both worlds.
you can still see and live with your partner, she or he would be just a yell-up-the-stairs away and you can still do all the things together if you both wanted to, just a hop to their part of the place or any mutually shared spaces. but that's what the parks and restaurants are for right?
spontaneity.
consider that word.
you can revert to your own space, take a breather, destroy some pieces of furniture that looks curiously like that shitty-banker-that won't-approve-your-application-to-refinance-your-credits's head if you will. working off the edge of frustrations is truly underrated.
and this without having your well-intentioned-but-with-horrid-timing partner to make it worse by spring-cleaning your drawers but only ends up bruising your delicate and rare artwork and almost mutilating your favourite book with this tv-time beers. sounds familiar?
interludes and trysts are assured. really.
no obligation whatsoever to have sex just cause you share a bed.
respect for each other as individuals.
yes, i got the two-hearts-that-beat-as-one but when movies end or your ipod's out of battery, you get back to the real world and realise that most relationships, at least to couples that cohabit lacks this. severely.
this pretty much solves the cossetting part, get your own, customised and separate living spaces yet still get a sense of each other.
now to make others see these points and practice it en masse.
mostly, it gives you your very own sense of place, what and how you want to with those space without interventions. or anyone breathing down your neck all the time in said space. which is bound to happen, inevitable even if you live in together.
privacy.
my equivalence of freedom of speech to libertarians, net neutrality for geeks and crushed oppositions to mugabe. or a wardrobe filled with nothing but steve madden boots, jimmy choo's, loubutin's heels and alexander mcqueens to a fashionista.
but you can have all that. the wardrobe part at least. the first sentence's a bit trickier. maybe not on mugabe.
