12 August 2010

American design in Melbourne

Reader Elisabeth from Melbourne responded to my question about how American design shows up abroad this morning with a link to an Australian company called American Homes. From what I can gather, American Homes sells house plans in the "American" style to Australian homeowners.

When I think of Melbourne, I think of historic structures like this one from Wikimedia:


When I think of new construction in Melbourne, I think of this home from FindNew.com.au.


Maybe I'm naive and have a stilted view of Australian housing, but what American Homes is selling is a slice of the Atlanta suburbs. Check these out:





Ugh. Those things look bad enough in an American suburb but they must seem really out of place in suburban Melbourne. Australians and anybody else, is that accurate? Elisabeth and her fellow Australians, do people really buy homes like this? Do these "American" style homes have a popularity anywhere else in the world? Let's hear from all over!

13 comments:

  1. Let me try again...Is what we're seeing here an American house epidemic spreading worldwide? Say it isn't so!!!! Houses like those you posted pictures of above really, really disturb me. Really.

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  2. Apparently so Sharon. I've seen photos of cul de sac neighborhoods with homes like those from American Homes in China of all places.

    Raina: Notice any of this sort of thing in New Zealand?

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  3. LOL..."Those things look bad enough in American suburbs" <I couldn't agree more! I have always wondered about people who wanted to live in a house that looks like a thousand others. But I guess that is how one 'Keeps up with the Jones', by copying their bad taste.

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  4. As a madame who frequently drives through the suburbs of Atlanta I can assure you they are a plague of epic proportions. These aren't just normal suburbs they are suburbs straight from Hades. Now Australia is infected - sigh... I thought they had better sense than that!!

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  5. Brian and Saucy: That link has had me shaking my head since Elisabeth passed it along yesterday.

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  6. Oh, yuck! I can't imagine why anyone anywhere would want a big, ugly garage with a house stuck to the back of it.

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  7. Those homes are a scourge and a blight. Why is it that the worst of this country is always what goes viral around the world?

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  8. Denise: That's the perfect description.

    Melody: Just wait 'til tomorrow. I take us on a whirlwind tour of US-style suburbs from across the world!

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  9. Paul - Nope, didn't see anything like this in KiwiLand. Nearly all new houses in NZ are some form of contemporary or a weird mash-up of Country French and English.

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  10. I'm not sure how many people are buying these things in Melbourne (but based on the website testimonials there are at least two!). Fortunately they are not replacing the rows of terrace houses in the inner city. But there is some evidence of them in our "newer" (i.e. homogenised, pasteurised, sterilised,) suburbs...
    I must say how refreshing it is to hear real live Americans disparaging of this 'garaging - with a home stuck to the back of it'. lol! What a great description by Denise!

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  11. Thanks for the feedback Raina. I left off New Zealand from my around the world tour tomorrow by the way, that's your turf.

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  12. Elisabeth: You came back. Thanks! Today has been missing an Australian perspective so thanks for providing it. I have a have a great group of regular readers, all of whom have impeccable taste and none of whom approve of garages stuck to houses. Of course everybody'll disparage suburban developments. Come back tomorrow (tomorrow for me at any rate, later today for you) and see how this awfulness has spread to the far corners of the earth.

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