Valentina Expressions

Welcome to my personal A to Z Challenge on the subject of Home.
The goal, in a year time, is to elaborate and dissect topics regarding the Home not as containers of stuff, but as a cocoon for the soul, mind, and heart. I will touch on decorations, style, trends, history of the home and sometimes technical information.

What a cheerful thing to see when approaching someone’s home: a wacky mailbox.
To me, it indicates the family is creative and loves to amuse.
Often, when I see a wacky mailbox want to stop and talk to the owners to find out about the creative thought behind their design.
It’s not always possible to find someone in the home these days, but when I do, usually they end up inviting me in and offer me a cup of coffee, as they are so happy to see someone interested in their design. Perhaps they think I am a martian knocking on people’s door just to ask about the mailbox.
You know, I am an expat in a foreign land and a curious person. I want to learn as much as possible about the land that has adopted me.

http://www.designswan.com/archives/42-cool-and-unusual-mailbox-designs.html

http://www.designswan.com/archives/42-cool-and-unusual-mailbox-designs.html

http://www.designswan.com/archives/42-cool-and-unusual-mailbox-designs.html

Somehow I associate artistic mailboxes to some customs in old-time Europe, when people’s surnames derived either from their trades, a particular detail in the personal appearance, or something totally wacky about a person.  I remember the last name of one of my mom’s clients was Scarpagrossa (large shoe). She was a big woman with large feet and her shoes were of course big. However, she inherited that last name when she married a Scarpagrossa, a surname that started in her husband’s earlier generations of a family with big people. The last name was kind of a reflection of their size. British brought this custom to America and now we have Smith, Fisher, Phillips, Dickson and many more. Perhaps this will be another topic for next time. Today, we can recognize people’s liking, passions, and trades by their mailboxes and no longer by their nicknames.

Some people will make a mailbox an exact copy of the architecture style of their home, some will show the symbol of their trade or something totally of fantasy.
Do you see the chiropractor or the painter’s mailboxes in my video? They don’t need any advertisement for their business, their mailboxes speak about their trades.

So far, I have seen painted fire hydrants and painted mailboxes, painted garage doors, and extravagant entry doors. I have seen vegetation on rooftops and homes underground for energy-saving. I have seen warehouses changed into contemporary lofts and glass homes.  Creativity is something everybody has and can be expressed freely.

If a house is located in an open countryside where the next house is a few miles away, then it’s easy to get wacky with the exterior concept, but if the house in located in an agglomerate of homes, where there is the  “usual irresistible complainer” as a neighbor, think again before putting up something that might offend that person. In some cities, homeowners must submit a conceptual exterior plan to the city even for a simple creative mailbox. Check with the building department and don’t let anybody stifle your creativity! Create a cheerful new week. Ciao,
Valentina
http://www.valentinadesigns.com

Copyright © 2013 Valentina Cirasola, All Rights Reserved

Valentina Cirasola transforms and creates spaces realizing people’s dreams in homes, offices, interiors, and exteriors. She infuses your everyday living with a certain luxury without taking away a comfortable living. 
She offers design consultations online through Skype and the traditional in-house consultations, helping people with their design challenge anywhere in the world.  She is the author of three books, all available on
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