Modern Mailbox for MidCenturyHome
Moving into an Eichler home last year was a dream come true for Amanda. With a third child on the way, her and her husband needed to upscale, but wanted something special. Tired of seeing the same stucco house over and over, they decided to look further afield for a home built by the famous mid-century developer Joseph Eichler.
For Amanda, going for an Eichler home has enabled her family to live with beautiful architecture at an affordable price. The home offers seamless indoor/outdoor living space and open floor plans, so her kids can play in the atrium while she is in the kitchen.
Light also pours in throughout the day from different directions. Yet with very few windows at the front, they can enjoy this atmosphere in a degree of privacy. Not only that, but she is now bringing up her children in the same kind of home she lived in during her own childhood.
Ironically, when reflecting on how she felt about the Eichler house she grew up in, Amanda admits to not appreciating it enough. While she enjoyed playing in the atrium, as her kids do now, she was jealous of her friends’ homes which had stairs. It was only in high school, when she started seeing coffee table books about Eichler homes, that she realised how special hers was.
For Amanda, the pursuit of the perfect Eichler did not stop when she secured her home. She was also very keen on getting all the rest of the details right, particularly with the pursuit of period features.
However, looking for certain mid-century fixtures, she was surprised how few options there were in the marketplace in terms of lighting, doorknobs and mailboxes. With her mailbox, for instance, she decided to opt for a contemporary yet faithful design from Modern Mailbox.
The perfect mix of minimalist design with a pop of colour was exactly what she was looking for, and the company took care to have the product fit with the chartreuse of her front door, “neighbours always make positive comments when they see it.”
Besides the fixtures, the other important element of Amanda’s childhood that the family sought to recapture is the community atmosphere. In her childhood, she has fond memories of block parties and Fourth of July bike parades. As she recalls “we used to put on magic shows in the atriums of neighbours and invited everyone to watch.”
By all accounts the community she has moved into has exceeded all expectations. “We have around 12 houses on our street, with 13 kids and counting, all under the age of six!” In their neighbourhood, there are big parties for every holiday as well as progressive dinners and “moms nights out”.
According to Amanda, “It’s impossible to take a walk around the neighbourhood on the evenings without stopping to talk to at least 3 or 4 neighbours… Everyone in these houses loves where they live.”
From Amanda’s reflection, it seems Eichler’s legacy continues to live on in this community, and presumably, in countless other communities throughout the United States. Hopefully their persistent success will inspire new developers to aspire to Eichler’s brilliance.
Visit Modern Mailbox to discover the full collection of mid-century modern mailboxes and light switches.
