apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Maxwell, you voyeur!
Swoon. Those are the most amazing properties, and it intrigues me that they appear so beautifully staged and tidy, almost like they knew you were coming to peek in!

Um, these are nice photos, but don't you feel a little strange about putting these up? It feels like an invasion of privacy - unless the owners said okay.

Beautiful properties... however, I'm bothered that you took these pictures without permission and posted them on the internet for the world to see. Pictures of the garden, I can understand, but peering through somebody's window and snapping shots while nobody is home? What are you thinking?

...maybe because it's a very small village and these people are familiar with your family and after you took the pics you told them and also that you were going to post them? I hope so.

These are beautiful houses, not sure about the big windows though. I'm surprised they passed planning restrictions and although they are nice from the inside they look ugly from the road and are not in the vernacular. The houses are not cheap and the local people, farmers, fishermen etc. can't afford them. Its ok for lawyers and doctors and such as second homes.

yes - viewing this post gave me the creeps. NOT cool at ALL taking pictures inside their homes without permission. Major violation of privacy, and especially as seen from that side of the world. Not cool at all. You should take it down immediately.... Sorry

Great slideshow...

And please, looking through the windows is SO not a big deal. We don't only look OUT through windows, we look IN through them too, and those huge windows had no blinds/curtains, which means the owners have no issue with people looking inside.

It isn't as if AT posted their addresses! Yeesh... some people are so touchy... :-)

Thanks for the peek, Maxwell!

My opinion of your taste and judgement just fell through the floor. Add another vote to the Invasion of Privacy camp. Totally not cool to be posting pictures through the windows unless you have permission. I loved seeing the exteriors, but this post is hugely inappropriate and rude if you never contacted the owners. No wonder Americans have such a bad reputation for their behaviour when travelling internationally.

These comments have gone way off topic and I would love to make a few comments to a few of you, but I won't. Let's just say that there are some really great landscape shots!

Not good--the Irish really don't like this sort of thing. You definitely shouldn't have been peeping into the windows and snapping pics. I agree with angorian. No wonder Americans have such a bad reputation overseas. I hope you clarify your decision and I'm hoping to hear that you did in fact get permission.

I agree with everyone above. It's just rude to go around and take many pictures of the insides of people's homes, much less post them on the internet. I would feel seriously violated if someone else did that.

How would the picture taker feel if someone did this to his home uninvited? Or hunted down his relatives homes and did so?

Just tasteless and creepy.

Haley

Kurt - I love your comment. I wish I had been as diplomatic as you were.... I seriously envy your ways.

I have just sent the following through the "email us" form:

"I was very disappointed with the lack of consideration shown by maxwell posting pictures taken through people's windows in Ireland and surprised that he never addressed the critical comments on that post. It just seems like such an inappropriate invasion of privacy, particularly for a visitor to the country. I'd really like to hear either that he did get permission to post them or what his rationale is for posting them without permission."

I have to agree with the dismay expressed here. I can certainly understand the temptation to take a peek (and even pictures) for yourself, but I think posting the interior shots here was inappropriate. I don't think that the absence of curtains on houses that are in secluded rural areas implies consent for having photos taken through your windows and posted on a high-traffice Web site.

I love the houses and love the views of the countryside, and I too yearn to find a spot like that someday, so the exterior shots would have been great - and would have sufficed.

I can understand you were excited to come across such lovely homes, however, a shame that you didn't exercise better judgement and decide NOT to post them. I live in Amsterdam, Holland and have a tourists peeking in my home on a daily basis. This is not a form of flattery, it's an invasion of privacy.

IQAmsterdam, I have to admit, that many times when I have visited your wonderful city, I have found myself walking along the canals and peaking with one eye in empty dining rooms, or living rooms (everything is lovely in AMS and irresistable). If there were people in I would not dare to look in. But I would have never had the b.lls to take a picture, nevertheless to post them on my web page.

Thank you for sharing your photos of these beautiful spaces. I am suffering from a serious travel bug so these did a bit to help! For the record, I am not too bothered by the through-the-window shots. Whatever the full story is, I am sure that you exercised your typical good judgment.

I love the house tours generally, but I gasped with dismay at this one. The house tours are normally a self propelled and well deserved act of congratulation and a celebration of personal style choices. This is just an invasion of privacy. I hope there's a longer explanation for these photos - one that involves the home owner's tacit permission.

I echo the comments above.
It is easy to get carried away when surrounded by such a beautiful landscape. However, without (?) owner's permission this "tour" feels very inappropriate.
It has brought up an interesting issue of how far to go for the sake of "the" inspirational photo and I am happy to see that so many people find it unacceptable to invade someone's privacy in this manner.

Agree with others that this is an invasion of privacy & extremely distasteful.
I live in a somewhat similar situation - where strangers can - with a few steps onto my property - easily peer into my house & at my belongings.
I am a private person & the idea that someone can step onto my property, take photos of the inside of my home, and post them on the internet - well, that really appalls and disgusts me. Particularly when accompanied by exterior photos of my house.
However, I do like a room with a view & while I do think about hiding behind thick curtains or blinds - I leave myself open to this & hope that people can behave decently.
But I am hoping Maxwell doesn't visit my neighborhood any time in the future - at least not without an invite.
BTW - there are plenty of sites (real estate ones for example) where you can see this type of thing. And there are many homeowners who - if just asked - would welcome someone with a camera & website. Posting this type of thing just really isn't necessary.