Every time I visit San Francisco, I always notice that there's a fair amount of upper-story apartments that don't believe in drawing the curtains. I've seen some pretty amazing apartments just on evening walks back from dinner through the Mission, and Laure's shared some equally amazing peeks from her daily walks in Venice.
A friend of mine went for a walk at dusk yesterday and happened upon this modern home with walls of glass with an impressive collection of iconic modern furniture--it practically looks like a museum. "Often while winding through the streets, I happen upon a house with its insides on display for all to see," she said, "It feels a little wrong to look, perhaps a little more wrong to take a photo--but this house was just asking for it!"
Just seeing these photos also reminded me of when I used to live near the Franklin Hills and would walk my dog after work--we would walk up near the Shakespeare bridge up in the hills and marvel in all the different kinds of architecture and styles that LA has to offer--my favorite was this one house in the corner that was ultra modern with its concrete walls and a two car garage with all-glass doors that housed an 1976 Porsche 911 in mint condition. (The other car was a Honda Civic).
(Images: Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, other photo from OfCourseOfcourse.com)
Ellen's Thirties Style Small Space
Juan's Garage Turned Modern Guest House
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Commercial Flour Sa...
How to Cook Rice on the Stove
Recipe: Thai Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
sigh....I so wish that I could have daily walks in venice ca. I spent about an hour there back in november and I fell in love.
Now that it's been dark during the commute home, I've noticed a house with huge open windows on one side. You can see a big loft in there with a spiral staircase going up to the bed. They put lights up it around Christmas time. Pretty great.
Peeking in peoples' windows is like visual eavesdropping.
"Every time I visit San Francisco, I always notice that there's a fair amount of upper-story apartments that don't believe in drawing the curtains..."
Why should we?
We have fantastic views (which we pay through the nose for) and limited days of sunshine so we don't have to worry about sun-fading too much...
...and who cares what folks might see of us - If they don't like it they don't have to look!
Window peeping is great just about anywhere in the country. I don't consider it eavesdropping at all. I've seen some amazing and inspiring interior color schemes in my neighborhood. I can also see that the classic white kitchen is very popular here.
I'm so nosey! I love it... This is why I do what I do for a living! I have always been so surious as to how people live and v.s. how they are in the "real world" psycology!!!
I live on the 2d floor, UES, and we have just not gotten around to window treatments. We have blackout shades in the bedrooms, frosted film in the bathroooms, a sunshade in the kitchen, but the dining room and living room? Totally bare. I have to remind my husband not to walk around in his delicates, but we pretty much don't care - we like the light and the feeling that we are in the city (we're on a relatively busy corner). We love seeing the light coming into our apartment at night. The light from the animated bus ads, which usually change as the bus passes our apartment, is like a little light show as are the other car/truck lights that pass. We hear the sounds too, and we like it. Dusk and dawn are the best. We see the flurry of activity at 6 am as people go to the gym. I peek out as people start going to work, getting coffee, etc.
I don't really worry about people looking in. We are not doing anything illegal, or even that interesting. Visually, its pretty boring. Occasionally, we might have dinner or a party and maybe people would find that interesting to look at - for one second.
We have plans for window coverings but its hard to commit. Part of that is because we like the naked architectural detail of our apartment, and the simplicity of that will be ruined by the window treatment. The other part is, we have tilt and turn windows, and we are very afraid that our window treatment will impede air flow, and if that happens, it will be an expensive mistake.
Overall, we don't really mind the unadorned windows, although if we have any weirdo experiences, I'm sure the stick on black out shades will go right up.
@clampers - what's your point? If people are talking loudly right beside you they are asking to be overheard. And if people have the lights on at dusk and passers-by can see into their homes then they are asking to be peeked into.
I love looking into people's apartments especially here in NYC. The new "aquarium" aprtments are great for that, totally open glasswalls everywhere, from ceiling to the floor. People spend a fortune to buy the aprtment that is facing a busy intersection with no views and then spend thousands of dollars to cover the oversized windows so that people can not see in. I wonder when the oversized widnow trend will pass.
idontdobeige, it seems to me that you view this in very black or white terms, which seems to be me very hyperbolic of you. I think that clampers point is that even if you can do something, maybe you shouldn't.
I don't think I'm asking anyone to look in my windows. I'm not preventing them, but I'm not asking them, or even inviting them. It's an accidental side effect of how I prefer to enjoy my space.
In my limited, anecdotal experience, most people who walk in a place where they could see into my windows, don't look. It doesn't even seem to register that they could. And there are many other uncovered windows on low floors in my area.
Should have stated that idea more clearly.
I love both window-peeping and eavesdropping and see no problem with either act.
Thanks for clarifying, clampers, I thought you meant "eavesdropping" in the literal sense, which has an implied negative connotation.
I think the house mentioned in the post across the bridge belongs to Cameron Silver, owner of Decades. But if I saw someone snapping photos of my house (and he/she's not a location scout) and those photos showed up on the internet, I might not be overjoyed.
"Just asking for it" is a lame excuse.
That is a respectable birdcage and I am sure they don't care if you look in.
I tend to not want to look into peoples windows when I am out walking around in the city only because I have been grossed out by the way people live, but when its stunning like the house in the picture then yes I will look in just not for too long.
I have no curtains in my back living room because I want all the light I can get and I have beautiful trees and greenery to look at. My neighbors can see everything in that room and I don't really care I am not walking around naked or anything. We actually wave to one another and they have commented on how uncluttered my place wish they could do that.
Stopping and staring into a window for the purpose of seeing inside is rude.
Catching a glimpse of someone's decor while walking the dog on the sidewalk is not the same. It really is more like accidental eavesdropping.
Agreed Cally, although, if someone is stopping and staring inside a house, that's just really creepy.
I grew up in an Eichler house in Palo Alto with floor to ceiling windows... I just can't do the no curtain thing, I'm too paranoid.
If you don't cover your windows, don't be surprised if other people are watching. Especially at night, when the inside is all lit up.
Having no window coverings but then complaining that people are looking in is just hypocritical.
I leave my front door open and the screen closed for the fresh air but my neighbor in the next building has a kitchen window that faces my front door and I always catch her STARING! It is so annoying. Why doesn't she come over and just say HELLO?
We've been here for two years already so I doubt she is trying to get interior decorating inspiration ;) because nothing much has changed.