Two years ago this week, I saw perhaps the most remarkable home in the entire United States, Falling Water. It is a stunning piece of architecture, and a magnificent engineering feat for its day, but not exactly a home I would want to live in.
This got me thinking about the architectural elements that make a home suitable for everyday life, as well as the flourishes and design elements I am drawn to.....here are a couple of my favorite things (although they don't all necessarily belong in the same house.....
Design Elements
In general I love the rustic farmhouse look, which includes, exposed wood beams, lots of covered porches and balconies, pine or other rustic wood cabinetry (the type they are always covering over or demolishing in HGTV specials....much to my chagrin). I don't really like tile, but will make an exception for slate. I also like darker metals and woods, no polished brass or oak. I prefer homes with a nice open flow, no need for a separate dining or living room etc. We are not formal people.
Livability
Entry closet near the front door for shoes, jackets and umbrellas.
Laundry near the bedrooms.
Back patio access near the kitchen or main living area.
The bedrooms should be grouped together and somewhat separate from the main living area.
No carpet in the eating areas.
Closets should not have sliding doors so large that you can't easily access what is inside.
(I'm sure there is much much more to this list, but I have to get back to my day job)
If anyone happens to run across my perfect home in their MLS searches, do let me know.
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8 comments:
We were probably in the tour group just ahead of you at Fallingwater. Just kidding ... I think I was there maybe 3 years ago ... Just after the scaffolding came down. And I've got the t-shirt to prove it! LOL!
I love the exterior and the siting of the home. Although you have written about interior features of your dream home, all of which you can change, if the home is poorly sited, that is almost impossible to change.
There happens to be a home I LOVE and actually visited several years back listed right now in the local MLS: 80013463. It's a mid-century modern and was designed by Carter Sparks.
Everyone's got their own taste. I checked out the house you listed and I wouldn't even slow the car down to take a look.
I checked out the house you listed and I wouldn't even slow the car down to take a look.
Yea. The one (major) drawback is that they didn't do garages with those style houses. It was all about carports. I do hope that nobody else slows the car either though. Maybe I'll be able to buy something like that (but certainly cheaper) in the future :)
"I do hope that nobody else slows the car either though. Maybe I'll be able to buy something like that (but certainly cheaper)..."
LOL PR & Sactia...that was exactly my thought too!
Speaking of own tastes....I remember when I left CA...I thought if I ever saw another stucco/adobe home it would be too soon. But after living on the East Coast for 8 years....I began to miss them.
Falling Water is an icon but I'd rather have the Storer House, Robie House, or Taliesin, as long as it wasn't located in southern CA (blech!)
But I also love turn of the century Barcelona architecture and Gaudi is certainly not for everyone. Same with my love for Victorian orietalism farmhouses, which became the famous Greene and Greene style, or my mid modern love for all things Gropius & Le Corbusier.
But Mentalia, you may keep your love of current retail residential design and leave the truely good stuff for us. I don't mind, really.
And for folks interested in modern architecture and sustainability, I can't recommend reading Alexander's The order of nature and Pattern Language enough.
My grandma took me on a tour of one of the Greene & Greene homes in L.A. when I was young...it was love at first sight (well that and the La Brea tar pits, and Venice Beach).
Probably the Gamble House. There is a Greene and Greene in Sacramento. It's right across the street from McKinley Park.
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