Five things make a post (things that would be cool):

[capri0mni]

One: A chandelier light fixture shaped like a tree upside down, so that the anchor/bracket in the ceiling are shaped like the roots and trunk. And the "candle flame" shaped light bulbs would be the "fruit" at the end of the branches. And all throughout the chandelier would be brass and / or silver leaves that would reflect the light and cast shadows, and create really interesting patterns on the wall that would help define the space of the room.

Two: a set of holiday lawn figures that are basically giant, life-sized versions of hand puppets, that you could make an armature for out of pvc pipe, dry-fitted together (you could use 90 and 45-degree joints for the elbows and shoulders), and drape your head & body over. When that particular holiday is over, you can take the pieces apart and store them (also, you could sneak out when no one's looking and change the poses).

Three: an adobe or other such house, which is shaped like an overturned bowl / dome. No right angles inside-- everything curvy (I've always wanted to live semi-underground, in a snuggly burrow, ever since I was a little girl... I wonder if that's related to the fact that I was born in the year of the rabbit).

Four: An oven with a door like a roll-top desk, or something similiar, so when the door is open, it's not in the way of actually reaching into the oven and pulling out what you're cooking.

Five: A rocking horse that's grown-up sized, that would be comfortable enough that you could relax while sitting astride it. I "inherited" from a friend (When she moved away) and antique wooden rocking horse that was white with red rockers. Its tail and mane were missing but I loved it. I miss it. It would be much to small for me, now.

Comments

[meloukhia]

One: WANT! That sounds so amazingly cool.

Two: I confess, I am tepid about holidays and lawn ornaments.

Three: I lived in a dome house briefly! They are pretty cool, although the design does tend to make furniture arranging kind of annoying.

Four: YES. Especially since my oven comes with a warning about it being tippy when the door is open/when you put things on it. Which seems like bad design to me.

Five: I have a friend who has a grownup sized rocking horse (I think it's actually a glider horse if you want to get technical) and it is RAD. She is very rich so I suspect it's like a custom Tiffany's item or something and is thus absurdly expensive.

[capri0mni]

1) I got the idea one recent sunny afternoon, when sun sent the shadows of the trees outside into my house, and I realized that was my favorite sort of thing to look at, ever.

2) I'm tepid about most holidays, but I grew up in coldish climates in the northern hemisphere, so when December rolls around, I long to fight back against the darkness. I really don't like the standard lawn decorations, though, so I enjoy dreaming up versions that are ever so slightly subversive (like doing a version of Santa's sleigh with 13 reindeer, just to see if anyone notices)

3) As a wheelchair user, I don't have much need for seating in each room, and tables and such could be built in.

4) When I got this house, I decided I wanted a wall oven, with the door that opens at counter height. In theory, this was to make it easier to slide food out of the oven onto the counter. In practice, I realized I can't even reach into the oven with the door open. I now use it as a clock, and storage for extra dishes (which are still a b*** to try and get to when I need them) :-/

5) If we could convince enough people that adult rocking horses are The Right Thing, than maybe places like Ikea would sell them, too.

[meloukhia]

I confess, I have a serious soft spot for Christmas lights and often use them to make the house feel more cheery in the dark months. (Also Christmas ball ornaments, for the light reflection and stuff!) I do like the idea of subversive lawn ornaments!

My main problem with the dome house was books, actually, not seating! It was hard to arrange bookshelves and while there could have been built-ins shelving would have been awkward. One cool thing the dome house had: The bed was suspended from the ceiling (adjustable height) and that was really fun.

I think we need to make adult rocking horses happen. What do we have to do?

[jekesta]

we need to make adult rocking horses happen. What do we have to do?

I, for one, am emailing ikea right now.

[capri0mni]

*applause*

[kellan_the_tabby]

I didn't know about these -- they're styrofoam of all things -- but there are also cob houses that are domes, and you can do a lot of neat things with them:

Here's the construction of a cob dome in Mali.

Have fun. :)

[capri0mni]

I remember seeing a documentary on a whole new development of sustainable housing, where every house was dome-shaped. IIRC, they were being built out of stacked rings of hay or straw, encased inside concrete.

Among the advantages of domed houses cited in this new, experimental, development were:

• Safest, most stable, structure for both earthquakes and hurricanes,
  
  
• and the most efficient to heat / cool (though that may have been attributed to the building materials).

Also, in my Standard, Western-designed right-angled house, all the walls at the corners are marked up with scratches and scuff marks, because I keep misjudging where the corners are.

The other day, I came across this video on how Deaf Culture can have a positive impact on Mainstream / Hearing architecture, and it was all about how Rounded Spaces = WIN! (and everything they were saying also struck me as good for wheelchair users, too, and some sorts of visual impairment, too boot: Deaf Space

[kellan_the_tabby]

That's flat-out brilliant -- there are a whole lot of ideas in that video that I'd love to see carried out into the rest of the world.

Back when I played in the SCA more I had a yurt -- I _loved_ that thing. The whole energy was different. It was easier to light, didn't blow over, and yes, was easier to keep warm or cool.

Now I really want a round house too...

Thanks for the link!

[capri0mni]

Thanks for the thanks!

I think I might post a link to that vid in a main entry, so I can crosspost it to my lj (where I still get a majority of comments & flisters).

Makes total sense that round / rounded spaces are eaier to heat -- heat and light radiate from a central point in a circle. And it's always the corners of rooms that are drafty...

[jekesta]

I absolutely adore your list. I couldn't agree more about rocking horses, because dude.

And I have a plant around my sitting room window that casts leaf shadows onto my wall just like you said and it's so beautiful and I would like that lampshade.

I suppose oven doors can't disappear inside the oven because of heat issues? Although it's not like they don't get hot anyway. I don't know. Ovens are really stupid when I think about it. Couldn't you perhaps change yours to a side opening door, would that give you at least slightly better access?

[capri0mni]

I don't think I could retrofit my existing oven, but a side-opening door sounds like a good idea.

Or maybe a door that slides down, like a vertical pocket door?

Or maybe I just need to acquire a baking sidekick, or become someone's baking sidekick. I could do the recipe dreaming up, mixing, etc. And someone else could handle the actual oven.

[pebblerocker]

I want these things, especially the first and last. My full-sized rocking horse would have to be factually accurate in all details -- no bit rings attached to nosebands or wild guesses in the anatomical department. Those things annoy me when it comes to horses. Unicorn horns would be acceptable, however!