Lovely to see these views of what will always be "Julia's house."
(Just for the record, it's at 103 Irving St., Cambridge, Massachusets.)

I love her home -- it has warmth and a quality of intellectual and cultural curiosity; something I used to see in homes from the '70s but which is largely absent today. (and in pictures of earlier times). Lots of books, artwork, photos and artifacts from a life well-lived and from travels... You used to see it in the homes of the educated middle-class, often people who pursued liberal arts degrees...

Why has that natural sort of decor disappeared?

Julia Child...what a wonderful welcoming home! She really seemed to have had a charmed life...

I love...love...love her kitchen and gorgeous utensils and tools!

It hasn't disappeared. It's just perhaps not showcased in design rags anymore.

As a society we do not value intelligence anymore. So you see homes that are rather homogenous in that pop-culture way. You can see it on this site - imagine if someone posted these pictures as their home - oy the hateful responses would be intense.

I'm assuming this is the Cambridge house? Man I'd love to see it in person. I also should wander over to Georgetown and see the house on Olive Street as well.

I love Cambridge so much, and her home :-). My dream would be to live in a house like hers, but I'll have to settle for my tiny 3rd floor apartment for the time being.

The funniest thing was when it went on the market a few years ago and advertised its brand new, state-of-the-art, soulless kitchen as a huge plus!

mschatelaine, I'm with you on that one -- sad to see so many empty, sterile spaces in the name of design.

I, too, have seen many images of 70s homes filled with modern furniture, but also paintings and sculpture and books and rugs--just made me wish I could be invited to lunch. These days, the idea of styling and 'editing your collection' and such seems to trump other concepts . . .

It's a beautiful home. I doubt people here would "savage" it. Maybe the clutter-phobes would be horrified.

What gets to me is that when you look at the Eames' own home, theirs was an MCM variant of this basic model -- the shell was different, the furniture was modern, but there were patterned rugs, loads of books, plants, things picked up on travels... You know that they would have related to Julia, and have had interesting conversations together...

Yet when the MCM look gets translated these days, it is absolutely empty and bare -- think of the MCM house renovation showcased last week. No books, no sign of any interests, no life, no plants, no rugs, nothing. People aren't expected to be interesting anymore -- there is no patina of culture, of depth, of being engaged in life and society... at least, not in our homes. When I was growing up, people had homes like this. I don't know any people anymore under 60 who have homes with this sort of depth.

I agree with what mschatelaine says. When I look at some of the house tours on this site, although beautiful, it somehow leaves me feeling like something is missing, but I'm not sure of what it is. It's an empty feeling. You've described it perfectly.

I'm enjoying the reflections on "a certain something" which might be largely missing from today's interiors. I had a school friend, Sarah, whose family lived in exactly the middle-class, liberal arts home that mschatelaine so beautifully described.

There wasn't always money to repair the leaking roof, but "The Elms" exuded a warmth and spirit that I have seldom since experienced. It is indeed about depth, about layers of history, about the house having borne witness to - and holding dear - many dozens of family stories. Every time I entered, there would be stock bubbling on the stove, little hand-written notes tacked up in the kitchen with yellowed, curling Sellotape, a concert playing on the radio. Someone would be curled up in the "seen better days" sofa reading a book. There was a box of Christmas decorations faithfully retrieved from the attic each year, and loved back to service for another season.

It really is hard to put my finger on what makes the difference, but I felt a leap in my heart when I saw the photos of Julia's home, because it evoked exactly the same feeling for me.

And yes -- when The Elms was eventually sold, its namesake trees were chopped down by the new owner. I do not know what they did inside.

It had a new kitchen because hers is now in the Smithsonian, where we can ALL love it!

I knew it was her house just from seeing the first pic. But I live one town away from Cambridge!

Reflecting on "the certain something" affect a movie comes to mind which i think evokes that same feeling......
"THE FAMILY STONE" with diane Keaton and Sara Jessica Parker. although not the best of movies, script wise, i love to watch it because the families home is soooo LIVED IN and full of Objects, Paper Mounds, Books, Photos, and worn but loved furniture! There are scenes where i just want to curl up in that house and feel like im part of that big warm "embiance"

I must agree, it is very refreshing to see these photos. Such a cozy lived-in home that looks like it's been developed organically over a rich lifetime rather than "designed" according to the latest trends. Just lovely!