Strayed Homes : Cultural Histories of the Domestic in Public

"Strayed Homes explores the blurring of public and private space. But whereas most writing about the public/private focusses on urban space, Strayed Homes focusses on the domestic - exploring those overlooked, everyday places where private and intimate activities take place in public. With four chapters set in four small, liminal spaces: the launderette, the greasy spoon, the fire escape, and the sleeper train - the book is part architectural history, part cultural history. It follows a series of allusions and impressions, to explore how films, adverts, books and anecdotes shape experiences of everyday architecture. Making a case for the poetic interpretation of space, the book can be used as a sourcebook for architects and designers as well as for theorists. It invites the reader - by embracing the notion of the 'strayed home' - to think again about concepts that are commonly invoked in the fields of architecture and urbanism, such as 'private', 'public' and 'home', and to rethink the emotional state of leaving home, intimacy in public, and lonely dreaming."-- Provided by publisher Poetic and political, Strayed Homes invites architects, interior designers, and urbanists to think again about common concepts in architecture –'private','public'and'home'. Whereas most writing about the public/private focusses on urban space, this book focusses on the domestic – exploring those overlooked, everyday places where private and intimate activities take place in public. With four chapters set in four small, liminal spaces: the launderette, the greasy spoon, the fire escape, and the sleeper train - the book is part architectural history, part cultural history. It follows a series of allusions and impressions, to explore how films, adverts, books and anecdotes shape experiences of everyday architecture. Making a case for the poetic interpretation of space, the book can be used as a sourcebook for architects, designers, and theorists alike – prompting the reader to rethink the emotional state of leaving home, intimacy in public, and lonely dreaming. List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- 1. INTRODUCTION Rocks, Dreams and Extensions: 1. Secular Eruvin ; 2. Question your teaspoons ; a. Reading: Roland Barthes ; b. The Everyday: Michel de Certeau ; c. Space: Gaston Bachelard -- 2. LAUNDERETTE: 1. Gossip shops for lazy people ; 2. What was the state of Britain's laundry in 1949? ; a. The public washhouse ; b. The commercial laundry ; 3. The arrival of the launderette ; 4. Play ; 5. Wait -- 3. COUCHETTE: 1. Double negative ; a. Location ; b. Consciousness ; 2. Cut up and carve ; 3. Hide and seek ; 4. Missing and Crossing ; 5. Strayed homes -- 4. FIRE ESCAPE: 1. The long and heavy ladder ; 2. Trapdoor ; 3. Unmarried women ; 4. Theatre box ; 5. Left space -- 5. GREASY SPOON: 1. The milk comes and the post goes ; 2. Home-cooking ; 3. Stay ; 4. Cramped ; 5. For the price of a cup of tea -- 5. STRAYED HOMES: Politics, Practices, Emotions -- Bibliography -- Index Cover Halftitle page Title page Copyright page CONTENTS FIGURES PLATES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Epigraph 1 Introduction: Soap cakes 1. Secular eruvin 2. Question your teaspoons 2 Launderette 1. The lines that connect people 2. What was the state of Britain’s laundry in 1949? 3. The arrival of the launderette: Gossip shops for lazy people 4. Play 5. Wait 3 Couchette 1. Double negative 2. Cut up and carve 3. Hide and seek 4. Missing and crossing 5. Idle time 4 Fire Escape 1. The long and heavy ladder 2. Trapdoor 3. Unmarried women 4. Theatre box 5. Left space 5 Greasy Spoon 1. The milk comes and the post goes 2. Home cooking 3. Stay 4. Cramped 5. For the price of a cup of tea 6 Strayed Homes: Politics, practices, emotions BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX PLATES