Friday, January 6, 2012

Strangest House in the World

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Every once in awhile, I daydream about all of us (all of you and me!) going for coffee, drinking tea, indulging in chocolate, going to Disney World and so forth. You get the idea, but until I become filthy rich and can sponsor such things, we’ll just have to do it this way.

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A few days ago we visited what has been called “The Strangest House in the World”. It had been on my list for a few months and finally we had the opportunity to visit. Welcome to Körner’s Folly.

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It was built in 1878 and is less than two hours from our place.

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It is a three-story house on seven levels with 22 rooms. Yep, you read that right. Are you beginning to get the idea of its strangeness?

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It has fifteen fireplaces and they are all different. No two doorways have the same molding, trim and details.

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Körner was an interior designer and he used his home as his showplace,

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hence, all the varied rooms with differing woodwork and interiors.

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What amazed me in addition to its quirkiness, was that as old as this house is, 90% of the furniture is original to the house and much of it was designed by Körner himself.

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Another example is this triangular shaped piece of furniture that was designed especially for this, the Rose Room.

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The little round tiles that make up the flooring throughout the house were laid one by one over two years by a single artisan.

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There are painted murals on most of the ceilings – the artist who painted them would stay in a small bedroom that the children of the house once occupied.

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It is the location of America’s very first private Little Theater.

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The children in the area were given the opportunity to perform puppet shows in this theater.

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It is still in need of a lot of restoration but I am amazed that so much of it has survived this long.  If you are ever in the area and you like to tour old homes, especially Victorian era homes you might enjoy this one.  It has been called an Amusement Park with a Front Door!

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I’m joining Beverly over at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday where everything is pink almost every weekend!

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18 comments:

  1. ohhhh wow ... would love to be able to visit that house and be nosey at all the different things .. and that tea looks lovely .... any left for a wee mouse ??? love mouse xxxx

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  2. Hi Ginger, What a fantastic, and unusual house. Is it lived in or open to the public every day.
    I would love to see it. Certainly not the minimalist houses the young ones have today.
    You must have had a wonderful afternoon with a great cup of tea.
    Hugs
    Kay

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  3. That house looks amazing and would love a good old nosey around there! I would also enjoy a coffee and yummy goodies with you too:o))
    Take care and have a good weekend.
    Hugs Lyn x

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  4. OMG. I'd not want dusting duty. What a fantastic place. Did Sebastian go?

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  5. What a great house. Thanks so much for sharing. If you ever get to San Jose, CA you ought to check out the Winchester Mystery House -- same kind of strange!
    Happy Pink Saturday,
    ~Marilee

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  6. That home is so UNIQUE. I was amazed at the diffent architecture and colors in each of the rooms. LOVE IT even though it's so over the top.
    Ann

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  7. That place looks absolutely stunning! I can't believe the amount of time and money that must have gone into it, and how many artisans must have been involved. I do feel sorry for the guy doing the tiling though - 2 whole years!

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  8. I love old houses, historic houses, unique houses. Sweet!

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  9. I suppose we can get very blasé about old houses in the UK but I must say I love this house, so unique. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. love it ! never heard of this house before so thank you for sharing it with us.
    Happy PS !

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  11. I'm still trying to figure out the three-story and seven levels bit. Now, how does that work? The photos are wonderful and the rooms amazing. What a great place to visit. I imagine the tile setter was thrilled to have such a long running steady job. He did beautiful work. This is one of those places you can visit several times and not see everything. Thanks for letting us tag along.

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  12. Wow! That looks like a house that the girls and I could spend hours in! I guess we'll just have to put that on our list of places to visit.

    Warmly,
    Cheryl

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  13. I adore houses from this era. Thank you for sharing it with us. Happy Pink Saturday!

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  14. @ Mouse - If you like to nosey around, it would be the place for you. I realized after we left that I could have looked around all day. There was a lot to see and take it. As for the tea, sure! There's at least a drop or two left!

    @ Kays Kids - This house is open to the public, no longer a private residence. It has been listed as a National Register property since 1970. It is protected by a non-profit organization. I think you would probably enjoy seeing it.

    @ Lyn - Yes, couldn't we have great fun - old houses and hot tea!

    @ Sharon - Dusting? What is that? Yeah. I don't know who's in charge of that aspect of the upkeep. Yep, Sebastian was along but he was dreaming of what he might order at the Tea House.

    @ Rose Brier Studio - Thanks for the suggestion. We make notes and keep them handy. Then when we decide where we want to go, we see what's close by that is unique so we'll be sure to bookmark the Winchester Mystery House.

    @ Ann - Yeah, it's definitely a place that makes your jaw drop. That's why some people thought Körner had lost his mind!

    @ Katy - Makes you wonder about the poor guys knees but he definitely had a story to tell. I can just imagine him saying: "I had this job once . .."

    @ Cyndi - Me too!

    @ Amanda - Yeah, your homes over there aren't old unless they are centuries old but over here, the 1700's or 1800's is old!

    @ FRancie - Glad you enjoyed the mini tour!

    @ maddyrose - Well, it goes like this. The house is the equivalent of three stories but some rooms are only 6 feet tall and others are a great deal more than that. Sometime to go from one room to another you might go up 3 steps or down 8 steps. This guy was known for using all the available space he had. I should have mentioned the kissing booths!

    @ Cheryl - If you go, let me know! I'll meet you there. I could go again!

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  15. Thanks for sharing this with us. I know what you mean about the daydreams. Its like we have pen pals we have never met in person. Thank you for visiting me and leaving comments. Wil appreciates it, too.
    Mama Bear

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  16. Such an amazing house... I like the Rose Room!!!

    Happy 2012!

    ~Debbie

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  17. What a fascinating post; I just loved it! Happy 2012 and happy pink day!

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  18. This post is awesome and I would so love to visit it one day. The detail in the rooms is gorgeous and amazing. The tile floors and the hand painted murals are a wonder.
    Tank you so much for sharing this for the pinkies. Smile.
    Hugs, Jeanne

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