I wish I could carry a professional photographer in my pocket at all times—these photos make me want to. Since that’s not possible, we were lucky to have a talented local photographer over for an afternoon. Andrea Hubbell, a Charlottesville, VA-based photographer, is shooting a series of “living spaces” sessions and invited us to be part of it. We happily agreed: we’re not particularly camera-shy when it comes to our home, and we love seeing our spaces through someone else’s eye—especially someone who knows how to work a camera.
Andrea was lovely and low-key—so unobtrusive that we nearly forgot she was there—and the images she captured are gorgeous and thoughtful. The wide-angle room shots are wonderful, but what really delighted us were the intimate detail shots that reveal the things we rarely notice or photograph ourselves.
Those little captured moments are fun—like a shot of Sherry’s pile of paint chips that says a lot about how we make decisions around here. They’re the small lived-in elements that tell the story of our home.
Andrea posted the full set of images on her blog; these selections are only a portion of what she shot. The photos were taken a few weeks ago, which explains why some rooms look slightly different now—projects move fast around here—while others weren’t photographed because they were mid-progress when she arrived (hello, built-in shelves). Here’s a shot of us with Andrea—the most surprising detail for me was that Sherry wasn’t wearing a black shirt. I almost didn’t recognize her.
As if we hadn’t had enough ways to see our house, a reader from the Netherlands named Karlijn—she’s sixteen—sent a lovely email showing the results of her Sims-based recreation of our home. She’s a fan of The Sims and decided to virtually rebuild our rooms. Given the constraints of the game (she joked she would have added a burger if she could), we were impressed by how closely some of the rooms match reality.
Her Sims version of our guest room captures the teal walls, the green headboard, and the pair of slipper chairs that are unmistakably familiar:
She recreated the left “alley” of our living room accurately, complete with a large gray sectional, a green rug, the bedroom door, and a big paned window that recalls our actual layout:
Her depiction of our windowless kitchen is true to life—pretty dark without the lights on. If you’ve ever wondered how faithfully games can mirror reality, this is a neat example.
Our favorite Sims room is probably Clara’s—though the highway visible through her window made us laugh. Obviously Karlijn was working within the game’s available lots and views, but the overall resemblance is charming:
Maybe Karlijn was leaving a few decorating hints too—like adding a zebra rug in the bedroom, which we found amusingly glamorous:
She also simulated outdoor lighting on the patio—an idea we actually like and are considering in the form of large bulb string lights to brighten the space for evenings:
If you play The Sims, maybe you can find Karlijn’s lot in the game and virtually drop in. I’m hopeless with video games—my Sim City experience ended when a tornado and a monster took out my skyscrapers—so I’ll leave the virtual house tours to the pros. Still, it’s a thrill to have our home interpreted by both a professional photographer and a creative young reader using a game. It’s a reminder that familiar spaces can look entirely new through someone else’s perspective.
Psst—We announced this week’s giveaway winners. Click here to see if you’re one of them.