Because we just love to be in a state of constant remodel upheaval – said no one, ever.
John Ruskin, the 19th-century art critic, and theorist said in his essay The Seven Lamps of Architecture:
“…Old buildings are not ours. They belong, partly to those who built them, and partly to the generations of mankind who are to follow us.”
Ruskin’s essay argues that seven moral principles are intertwined with architectural design, beauty, truth, sacrifice, power, life, obedience, and memory.
As we began to unwind the “improvements” done to the house, we started to understand these principles as they related to the Donato family and the life they spent in the home. While we did the work to make the house livable to us, it was always done with a nod towards the Donatos, who we know loved the house very much.