Documenting Houses and the Lived Experience

We’re often asked why we photograph houses just before they’re demolished. When a home is occupied, its captured at its best and presented but when they’re empty and awaiting demolition, the lived experience lingers in a different way. What’s left is the house as it is in that moment: worn, quiet, incomplete, marked by what remains, what’s missing and the traces of lives once lived there. These spaces invite questions: who lived here, how they lived, what they experienced and how their stories quietly shaped the space.

 

Most importantly, there is so much within these houses that needs to be recorded before it is removed or destroyed. Many of these details can’t be replaced, not only because of their age but because the materials, craftsmanship or designs are no longer available or economically viable. Everything from tiles and lino to furniture, carpet, fireplaces, mosaics, ornaments and ceiling plasterwork.

Documenting these details helps us understand the style of the building, the materials available at the time and the broader trends and choices that shaped how people once lived.