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McMansion Hell

McMansion Hell
on neuschwanstein castle (part 1) This is an essay in two parts. Neuschwanstein Concept Drawing by the stage designer (!!) Christian...
a month ago
61
a month ago
This is an essay in two parts. Neuschwanstein Concept Drawing by the stage designer (!!) Christian Jank (1869). There exist in architecture clear precedents to the McMansion that have nothing to do with suburban real estate. This is because “McMansionry” (let’s say) has many...
McMansion Hell
namesake mcmansion Howdy folks! Today’s McMansion is very special because a) we’re returning to Maryland after a long...
6 months ago
57
6 months ago
Howdy folks! Today’s McMansion is very special because a) we’re returning to Maryland after a long time and b) because the street this McMansion is on is the same as my name. (It was not named after me.) Hence, it is my personal McMansion, which I guess is somewhat like when...
McMansion Hell
2007-core nostalgia extravaganza Quick PSA: someone on Facebook is apparently impersonating me using an account called “McMansion...
5 months ago
54
5 months ago
Quick PSA: someone on Facebook is apparently impersonating me using an account called “McMansion Hell 2.0” – If you see it, please report! Thanks! Howdy folks! I hope if you were born between 1995 and 2001 you’re ready for some indelible pre-recession vibes because I think this...
McMansion Hell
new jersey “19th century” “eclecticism” It’s always funny to me when new wealth tries to imitate old wealth, but in a very specific way: by...
2 months ago
43
2 months ago
It’s always funny to me when new wealth tries to imitate old wealth, but in a very specific way: by trying to reproduce old ways of building that are no longer viable via mass produced building materials and contractors who are better than average but still not quite in the...
McMansion Hell
New on Patreon: New Jersey Bonus Post (5 additional, “wonderful” rooms!“ new jersey bonus post: 5 additional, wonderful rooms | McMansionHell New on Patreon: New Jersey...
2 months ago
42
2 months ago
new jersey bonus post: 5 additional, wonderful rooms | McMansionHell New on Patreon: New Jersey Bonus Post (5 additional, “wonderful” rooms!“
McMansion Hell
the motel room, or: on datedness I. Often I find myself nostalgic for things that haven’t disappeared yet. This feeling is enhanced...
8 months ago
25
8 months ago
I. Often I find myself nostalgic for things that haven’t disappeared yet. This feeling is enhanced by the strange conviction that once I stop looking at these things, I will never see them again, that I am living in the last moment of looking. This is sense is strongest for me in...
McMansion Hell
texas gothic revival Sometimes I just want to get on my hobbyhorse, which for about a year now has been the middle ages...
8 months ago
23
8 months ago
Sometimes I just want to get on my hobbyhorse, which for about a year now has been the middle ages but surely will soon be something else. (Please hyperfixation gods, make it financial literacy.) Anyway, I meandered around the nation (online) in search of another opportunity to...
McMansion Hell
dome sweet dome As some of you may know, I have been going to language school for the last few months in order to...
a year ago
16
a year ago
As some of you may know, I have been going to language school for the last few months in order to learn the world’s most widely spoken and useful language: Slovenian. At this point, my Slovenian is about as coherent as, well, a McMansion. In order to feel better about myself, I...
McMansion Hell
ode to a faux grecian urn Howdy everyone, Today’s house, built in 2001, comes to you from, you guessed it, the Chicago...
10 months ago
16
10 months ago
Howdy everyone, Today’s house, built in 2001, comes to you from, you guessed it, the Chicago suburbs. The house is a testimony to traditional craftsmanship and traditional values (having lots of money.) The cost of painting this house greige is approximately the GDP of Slovenia...
McMansion Hell
mojo dojo casa house Howdy folks! Sorry for the delay, I was, uhhhh covering the Tour de France. Anyway, I’m back in...
a year ago
16
a year ago
Howdy folks! Sorry for the delay, I was, uhhhh covering the Tour de France. Anyway, I’m back in Chicago which means this blog has returned to the Chicago suburbs. I’m sure you’ve all seen Barbie at this point so this 2019 not-so-dream house will come as a pleasant (?)...
McMansion Hell
we’ve found it folks: mcmansion heaven Hello everyone. It is my pleasure to bring you the greatest house I have ever seen. The house of a...
a year ago
14
a year ago
Hello everyone. It is my pleasure to bring you the greatest house I have ever seen. The house of a true visionary. A real ad-hocist. A genuine pioneer of fenestration. This house is in Alabama. It was built in 1980 and costs around $5 million. It is worth every penny. Perhaps...
McMansion Hell
pre-recession, post-taste Hello, everyone. I hope this blog can bring some well-needed laughs in really trying times. That’s...
a year ago
14
a year ago
Hello, everyone. I hope this blog can bring some well-needed laughs in really trying times. That’s why I’ve gone back into the archives of that precipitous year 2007, a year where the McMansion was sleepwalking into being a symbol of the financial calamity to follow. We return to...
McMansion Hell
Hello everyone! The word is out – I am writing a book! Hello everyone! The word is out – I am writing a book! If you ever wanted to read a book about...
a year ago
13
a year ago
Hello everyone! The word is out – I am writing a book! If you ever wanted to read a book about McMansions, 5-over-1s, the ignoble toil of architects, ridiculous baubles for rich people, hostile architecture, private equity, shopping (rip), offices (rip), loud restaurants, and...
McMansion Hell
bonus mcmansion hell: terrible things are happening in McLean, VA Read the bonus post on Patreon!
over a year ago
McMansion Hell
In my latest for The Nation I make the uncontroversial claim that bike lanes are good, actually. Bicyclists Deserve the Right to Free Movement In my latest for The Nation I make the uncontroversial...
a year ago
McMansion Hell
Howdy everyone! Some exciting news: I’m doing a stint at The Nation this month writing... Liberating Our Homes From the Real Estate–Industrial Complex Howdy everyone! Some exciting news: I’m...
a year ago
13
a year ago
Liberating Our Homes From the Real Estate–Industrial Complex Howdy everyone! Some exciting news: I’m doing a stint at The Nation this month writing biweekly design columns. In this first one, I’ve done my best to expand on an earlier McMansion Hell post in order to answer the...
McMansion Hell
In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of AI and the idea that it is coming... No, AI Is Not “Disrupting” Architecture In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of...
a year ago
12
a year ago
No, AI Is Not “Disrupting” Architecture In my latest column for The Nation, I take on the specter of AI and the idea that it is coming for architects’ jobs.
McMansion Hell
Bonus McMansion Hell: Ye Olde Barrington In which I am in my castle era.
a year ago
McMansion Hell
In my latest column for The Nation, I defend single stair buildings against their detractors -... Single-Stair Layouts Are Not Going to Fix the Housing Crisis In my latest column for The Nation, I...
a year ago
12
a year ago
Single-Stair Layouts Are Not Going to Fix the Housing Crisis In my latest column for The Nation, I defend single stair buildings against their detractors - I think single stair is wonderful! - But I also don’t think it’s some kind of panacea for the housing crisis.
McMansion Hell
in which i take on the argument that windowless bedrooms will somehow solve the housing crisis (lol) We Cannot Countenance Windowless Bedrooms in which i take on the argument that windowless bedrooms...
a year ago
McMansion Hell
BONUS MCMANSION HELL: liminal edition bonus mcmansion: liminal edition | Patreon BONUS MCMANSION HELL: liminal edition
a year ago
McMansion Hell
Hi everyone: I’ve written a long deep-dive on the present state of the McMansion, from... The McMansion as Harbinger of the American Apocalypse Hi everyone: I’ve written a long deep-dive on...
a year ago
11
a year ago
The McMansion as Harbinger of the American Apocalypse Hi everyone: I’ve written a long deep-dive on the present state of the McMansion, from farmhouse chic to imminent environmental collapse. If you’ve been seeing an inordinate number of big ugly houses pop up in your...
McMansion Hell
this house may or may not be real on grayness in real estate Allegedly, somewhere in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a 4 bed, 5.5...
over a year ago
11
over a year ago
on grayness in real estate Allegedly, somewhere in Wake Forest, North Carolina, a 4 bed, 5.5 bathroom house totaling more than 6,600 square feet is for sale at a price of 2.37 million dollars. The house, allegedly, was built in 2021. Allegedly, it looks like this: A McMansion...
McMansion Hell
every small city has that one dictator chic house I don’t know why, but every city, no matter how big, has some insanely stacked dictator-looking...
over a year ago
11
over a year ago
I don’t know why, but every city, no matter how big, has some insanely stacked dictator-looking McMansion somewhere outside the city limits. If you sort your Zillow results as Price: High - Low, this house will pop up first. It costs something like $5,000,000. It is 10,000 square...
McMansion Hell
here are some things i like Often people say to me, “Kate, you’re an architecture critic! You must have an impeccably designed...
a year ago
10
a year ago
Often people say to me, “Kate, you’re an architecture critic! You must have an impeccably designed home full of wonderful design.” Haha, NO! However, I do think it’s entirely possible to collect design and live an aesthetically satisfying life on, like, a normal salary. Last...