Victorian-style gingerbread trim over a porch
This month's City Daily Photo challenge: The Creative Artisan
Many homes in southern Ontario are made of red or yellow brick brick and some older ones are decorated with gingerbread trim. More often than not the trim looks quite stunning, although some is too ornate for my taste. I do find it charming on other people's houses, though.
The decorative trim emphasizes architectural features such as dormers, gables and porches. Even though it's an old-timey style, there are new subdivisions in the Greater Toronto Area (where I live) that feature gingerbread trim too.
Gingerbread trim over a gable
Originally all gingerbread trim was handcrafted by artisans. It was a way for each homeowner to make their residence different from their neighbours. But now in those subdivisions that feature gingerbread, the homes look astonishingly the same because the decorative trim is mass-produced.
If you scour the Internet, though, you can still find a few small companies that take pride in craftmanship as well as promise service, quality and affordability.
I am linking to CDP HERE
32 comments:
Oh I love that Gingerbread trim. B
I find it charming on the right style of house.
I always wanted to live in a house with gingerbread trim.
i love gingerbread, it is common in Savannah and Charleston. this is new to me though, not like what we have in the South.
So quaint. I love to visit sights like these.
=)
The only gingerbread I know is the kind you eat. This trim on the houses is lovely, for me seeing it the first time.
Hello!
The stunning architecture.
Your photos are always excellent.
I wish you have a nice weekend.
Regards
Lucia
Hi Camera Girl,
Thanks for visiting my blog! I've been enjoying yours this morning. Your photography is lovely and fun--the gingerbread houses remind me of some of the architecture in old San Francisco.
Susie T.
These are so beautiful!
I like these designs!
One of my favorites. My imagination runs wild with a beauty like this.
This is a fascinating interpretation of the creative artisan theme. When I as a kid, I lived in an 1870 Victorian home with lots of interesting gingerbread. But I would not want it on a newer house. It fit a particular time. On a new house, it is fake.
Wonderful.
I think like you EG, I appreciate the creative design and love to look at it but it may be a wee bit too decorative for me. Super post for the theme.
They are so charming and lovely! Very sweet to gaze upon (though I am not an 'ornate trim' person either:). Nice to also know a few true artisans are forging through the mass production!
Gingerbread is so popular, you can now pay a small fortune for a scavanged piece found in recycle yards or antique stores. It really speaks to a certain era.
San Francisco, where I grew up, had many old homes with Victorian gingerbread. There's nothing quite so lovely as that adornment well done.
Wonderful detail and I love your choice for theme day.
excellent choice!
I guess that, like them or not, these decorations make a place distnctive and fun. And that's important in itself!
I love the old gingerbread trim on houses especially like the brick one in your top photo. Beautiful! The new doesn't look quite as nice to me on the new homes. Pam
I love the gingerbread on the true older houses because that defines who they are. New stuff--not so neat. MB
Those are BEAUTIFUL! To me, they add so much character to each house!
I'm not a fan of Gingerbread but I wish we could be a little more creative in the construction of our homes and public buildings - so many of them give "bland" a bad name!
I love it on the old Victorian houses around town but those craftspeople are certainly disappearing!
Count me in as a fan of gingerbread trim!
It seems like fake gingerbread would be worse than no gingerbread at all. What you show here is beautiful though. I assume it's the real thing.
I love the delicate work on houses like this! I wish it would come back into 'style'.
Oh, what a good interpretation of the theme! We have a few houses here with gingerbread trim, but it never occurred to me. This is a marvelous example.
The individual creation of the GB trim is a perfect example of the craftman who is rapidly disappearing from our society in favour of machine production.
Thanks for your contribution to our Theme Day.
These are both amazing. Like you, while I love to look at it, I don't want it for myself. Can you just imagine the time it took to make it and the time it takes to paint it? I get tired just thinking about it.
That´s so beautiful and a really interesting post!Thank you for sharing!
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