Spring in Ohio, the Podcast, and an Update on the War on Minimalism

So much is going on that it’s best to take this one topic at a time.

Launching a Media and Communications Department at Work

The past few weeks, I’ve been working on the big full-scale portfolio reviews I mentioned and, in turn as time permits, getting the groundwork laid for an upcoming podcast we’re releasing as part of a new Communications & Media department at the firm. I told the clients about it and their feedback was so helpful and valuable in terms of what might be interesting, the general structure, etc. Both Aaron and I are super-excited. A lot of the research in the area has been handled by Jacob at our office, who is doing a really good job with it. (I have a list of tasks he needs me to do this upcoming week so he can make some final tweaks to the audio template before we start recording in the not-too-distant future.) I think, in addition to the writing, it’s going to be valuable for me to be able to express my thoughts on some more esoteric areas that get more in-depth than anyone would likely be interested in reading. I already have a good idea about one of the first topics, which is going to be a major danger I see in the way I think the present structure of certain government forms and reports is going to be combined with non-regulated generative A.I. that attempts to pump out content in exchange for advertising revenues, leading to widespread misinformation. That is, there is a substantial amount of illiteracy in understanding data, which has widespread political and policy ramifications, and technological changes are going to make that far worse, particularly when (not if) exploited by political opponents or antagonistic foreign governments.

The Kennon-Green War on Minimalism in Interior Design Continues

In other news, our war on the tired minimalism that has overtaken the design industry continues. As you know from recent posts such as this one and this one, we’ve been searching auction houses, estate sales, antique dealers, classified listings, and more looking for high-quality furniture in historical patterns that are selling for a small fraction of their original retail price to take advantage of the 1929-level collapse in “brown” furniture as it is known. Sometimes, we get the rock bottom price, sometimes we find what we want at a reseller that has decent markups, yet it’s still such a better deal than it was even a few years ago, and the quality is so extraordinary, we have no problem paying them what amounts to a built-in finder’s fee.

In any event, the same dealer where we sourced several other pieces including that Baker armoire and that Chinese lacquer screen had an E.J. Victor table that was made as a reproduction of a piece in the historic Newport Rhode Island mansions back during the Gilded Age. Fully extended, it measures 137.5″ long and 50″ across. We also bought the matching set of ten chairs because they looked great with the table, having been designed for it in the first place, but also because they reminded me of frosted sugar cookies with royal icing. The real appeal of this is that over decades, we can reupholster the chairs countless times to change the pattern, color, or material to match the space, meaning it can be updated endlessly.

It all just seems too good to be true but the numbers leave no room for interpretation. Not only the prices, but the fact that the relocation from Newport Beach to New Albany created such massive structural savings that, for all intents and purposes, the payback on cash flow is high enough that all of this stuff ends up being free in the end. The houses, the furniture, etc. Aaron and I have taken to calling it the “Ohio dividend” in our internal planning discussions as we review progress and set goals for 12, 36, and 60 months.

E.J. Victor Newport Regency Table with Gilded Chairs - 1 — The table can seat ten people at a time and is wider than normal, allowing for plenty of space for both people on either side. It won’t end up here, obviously, but delivery happened faster than we anticipated. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I think getting the whole thing done will take around 36 months. We’re only on month 4 so it’s coming along nicely.

E.J. Victor Newport Regency Table with Gilded Chairs - 2 — Both Aaron and I prefer darker woods on most furniture, especially when there is an in-lay pattern that is both rich and subtle so it feels tight and well-organized. When we reviewed this initially, they looked great in the photographs but those pictures did not do it justice compared to real life.

E.J. Victor Gilded Chair with Arms Close-Up — I really do love these chairs … they look like well-iced sugar cookies in royal icing from those specialty bakeries around the world. I think I’m going to keep an eye out for any more that come up for sale or at auction in the next decade because I can see myself wanting backups in case anything ever happens to a chair or the table itself.

The Landscaping for Spring and Summer 2024 Is Coming Along, As Well

The shift from Growing Zone 10b (which supports temperatures as low as 30 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit) to Growing Zone 6b (which includes temperatures as low as -5 to 0 degrees Fahrenheit) has been an adjustment, with some benefits and some drawbacks. The major benefit: The trees are spectacular. Actual, real trees. Leaves everywhere. Birds singing and flying around them as they return to their nests.

Still, we’d make the trade again no hesitation. We are happy with our decision to hire the same botanical design company the former homeowner had used as it’s allowed us to focus on our work and the kids. The past 129 days since we’ve been in New Albany have gone by so quickly but we’ve had basically zero time for ourselves. We haven’t got to really explore any restaurants or see museums or any of the things we would usually do. We’ve barely been able to say hi to our neighbors or get involved in anything. That said, the scale and scope of the relocation while making sure everything continues running well without a hitch is more complicated, and a much bigger undertaking in some ways, than when we moved from Missouri to California, it truly is far easier due to the advances in technology that have occurred, existing vendor relationships we’ve established, and having a staff to support us.

Hibiscus Flowers as Part of Landscaping — The botanical designer we work with to handle the property since we are so busy working at the firm and raising two growing toddlers did an amazing job. We shared pictures of what we had in Missouri and California, including that we enjoyed things trained as standards (e.g., rose standards) so you get flowers with height, with bases of flowers at the bottom. Her grower had these beautiful hibiscus she worked into the plan.

Closeup of the Giant Garden Pots We Brought with Us from California, Replanted with flowers that will thrive in Ohio — We really are so happy with it. I miss being able to garden, but I just don’t have time for it at this stage in my life. Still, I’m not willing to give up the joy of being surrounded by beautiful plants, flowers, and trees, so outsourcing it is the best solution.

Looking out over the backyard and onto the golf course of the New Albany Country Club — We had lived in California for so long that it is not an exaggeration to say we had forgotten how green everything gets. Or that people just have water flowing everywhere. The abundance of it was surreal, particularly seeing people out spraying things with water hoses as a form of irrigation. However, that water surplus was one of the appeals of the region. Like other areas where I was surprised by the disconnect in reality and perception, consider this fact: Columbus gets more annual precipitation than Seattle despite having significantly fewer cloudy days.

The backyard still requires an umbrella, some tea dance lighting, and the fountain to be repaired. — For now, we are keeping the structural elements of the back landscaping the same but had the mulch replaced, potted flower arrangements put in, the irrigation system prepared for spring, and, at some point in the near future, getting the fountain back up and running. We now need to get the cleaning service that comes out and refreshes the patio furniture, as well as find an umbrella so we can sit out there under the summer sun and still be in the shade. We also need to find accent lighting so if it’s early morning or late evening, you get that sort of tea dance glow look.

We need to get umbrellas for shade from the sun – it will be wonderful to sit by the fountains and listen to the water while reading or talking – and, eventually, an outdoor grill or something so we can have family meals out here. I’ve been reviewing all the HOA rules to make sure whatever we do complies. Since the house has historic wood windows, we’re also working with a vendor to get a regular maintenance schedule so multiple times a year they come out and are maintained. Aaron and I have already determined that with this house we’re going to take the “jewel box” approach and simply upgrade everything we want without any concern for resale value given we have no intention of ever selling it, even if we eventually need a larger place based on how many kids we have. If anything, we’ll keep it as our own retirement house for decades down the line. We just love it so much.

A closeup of some flowers in our backyard landscaping

In other news, and most importantly, Dorian’s arm healed marvelously. We were so worried about it. (Sometimes I think he’s learned his lesson and other times, I’m not so sure. A few days ago, he came and got me while I was working on something and asked if he and Graham could climb “really high” up on top of a pair of chairs and jump off it onto the floor like they were diving. I told him “no”, of course, because one of them might accidently break their arm, again, but that I appreciated he asked first and that I was proud of him for checking in advance. I also promised we’d sign him and his brother up for swimming lessons so they can jump off the diving board, which seemed a satisfactory answer – both he and Graham quickly moved on to other pretend games.)