Still wood obsessed

I got some serious validation for putting more wood in the master bath in my post a couple of weeks ago. Jean Martha at Renovation Therapy suggested putting in some beams and while I love the idea. logistically (tall Guy, low ceilings) that isn't going to work. But it got me thinking that giving the ceiling the hardwood or bamboo treatment might be one way to go.

Via Divine Design

Then I came across these great paneled bathtubs. Straight walnut panels with inset lights would certainly help in our poorly lit master bathroom.


Or we could use recycled wood as a tub surround like this bath by Feldman Architects, via remodalista


This bath has a gorgeous redwood surround but overall it looks a little like the sample area of my local wood flooring showroom.
In any case I think I have a paneled bath, possibly with inset lights, in my future. What do you think?

This was written as part of the Hooked on Fridays fest and coincidentally is also my 1000th post

Lieb House finds its new home

A month ago I posted this piece about the the start of the journey to move the Robert Venturi Lieb House from the Jersey shore to the north shore of Long Island. The beach cottage, which had been in danger of demolition, has been purchased by Deborah Sarnoff and Robert Gotkin, who plan to use it as a guest house to their own Venturi designed home. On Friday it succesfully completed the second leg of its journey from Manhattan's South Street Seaport to Glen Cove NY, a move that was documented both by news teams and by cameras for a forthcoming film Learning from Bob and Denise by James Venturi, son of the architect.
You can see the whole move in a New York Times slideshow and read the rest of the article here.
There has been a lot of discussion on architecture blogs about whether this is a judicious move, if the removal costs are justified in a recession and whether modernist beach houses should be preserved. I think you know which side of the argument I come down on but I'm interested to hear what you think. If you had the means to undertake such an endeavour, would you do it?

Saari I couldn't be there

I waited a long time for this photo of the Gateway Arch that was designed by Eero Saarinen and built between 1963 and 1968. Of course I really wanted to see it for myself but I entrusted The Guy to use his iphone to capture the definitive architectural statement. What can I say? Archn't you disappointed I didn't take the trip to St Louis too?

Sunny Valentine

Guess what else I'm missing this month? The Valentine's Day coinciding Modernism Week in Palm Springs. We tried to go last year, and the year before. We promised ourselves we'd make it this year. As usual we left it too late. (Oh shut up moaning woman, you have a great life!). Yes but this year the architect William Krisel will be getting his star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. Quatch. We will go one day. Until then there's always youtube

Floating a Beach House

Well this certainly puts my attempts at restoration into perspective. Imagine the amount of money and the stress for the architect and new owners as the Robert Venturi designed 1969 Lieb House is hoisted from its home on the Jersey Shore, placed on a barge and floated up the East River, around the North Shore of Long Island to Glen Cove, where it will eventually be used as a guest cottage to another Venturi house. All this being dependent on the City of Glen Cove giving the project a permit. At the moment the iconic beach house is stuck in a parking lot. For shame. If it gets the go-ahead I'm going to cheer it as it sails in. Go Lieb House!
The NY Times has a story on the move here. Further background, plus a video of the initial stages of the move, here and from Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates here.

Unique Flower

There have been (verbal) comments that this blog has become more political of late, and I guess the last post won't have helped but I think it still skews more "uniquely modern" than leftist. Anyway, back in Buenos Aires (and don't get me started on the politics there) there was another sculpture, a more modern (2002) but equally unique piece that took my breath away. Designed and paid for by architect Eduardo Catalano, Floralis Genérica sits on a reflecting pond in the Plaza Naciones Unidas. Using hydraulic mechanics, the petals of the huge (60') metal sculpture open in the morning and close with the last of the sun's rays.
Catalano also built the famous mid-century modern Raleigh House in North Carolina, a unique structure with a hyperbolic paraboloid roof that was named "House of the Decade" in 1955. Sadly, the house is no longer standing, it was bulldozed in 2001. Let's hope for a better fate for the metal flower.

Award-winning Restoration

Saturday is for... total admiration and envy. This Frank Lloyd Wright home in Millstone, New Jersey has been rebuilt by architects Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino, who also own the house.


The restoration has been so sympathetic and striking that they won a Wright Spirit Award in the private category from The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, which “honors original or subsequent Wright homeowners who have rescued a building or have demonstrated outstanding stewardship in its conservation”. Read the story of the 20 year process that included being flooded twice, and their unique solutions addressing the problem, here.

House porn in La Jolla

Totally. Love. This. House.


Stunning views of the ocean


married with seclusion in the subterranean living area
Via LA Times Home & Garden

More Balls!

Feeding my fascination with Buckminster Fuller and geodesic structures, we visited the Biosphere Environmental Museum in Montreal. This fun, interactive museum is built inside the dome designed by Fuller for the 1967 World Expo. The original structure was protected from the elements by a transparent acrylic membrane that was destroyed when the sphere caught fire in 1976. Now the dome is completely uncovered, which is great for viewing the surrounding landscape and watching the these guys perform a little maintenance.

Inspired by James Bond

Gadgets and gimmicks ex-Formula 1 racing driver, Sir Stirling Moss, calls the super amazing, ahead-of-their-time features of his early 60s home in Mayfair, London. Need to relax? Sit in the den and access the TV behind the paneled wall. Hungry? Press a button and a table descends in front of you with dinner laid out. Want a relaxing bath? Another button fills your tub while you finish watching that TV programme. Too tired to climb the stairs? Step into the carbon-fiber elevator designed by the Williams racing team and be whisked to your destination. Super-efficient and super cool, too.

Vacation in a Krisel Home

After blogging about William Krisel recently I really want to go to Palm Springs and tour some of his houses. Then serendipity strikes. It seems not only could I go look, but I can actually stay in one. This completely restored 1957 Alexander House can be rented by the night, week or month from owner Chris Menrad.
It seems there are plenty of other mid-century modern vacation homes out there if you know where to look. Time Magazine has selected a few, including Frank Sinatra's desert home from the Rat Pack days. I hear the happy sound of cocktails being poured right now.

Prefabulous houses at MoMA

Monday morning's disappointment with The Waterfalls and the delicious make-up-for-it lunch and a couple of espressos behind us we headed uptown for more culture at the MoMA - Home Delivery: Fabricating The Modern Dwelling. This exhibition of prefabrication in architecture from the early 19th century to the present isn't comprehensive - Sears-Roebeck homes get a mention but Macy's Leisurama Homes don't - but it is fascinating nonetheless. I especially loved the 1930's copper houses constructed in Berlin and Haifa, that I previously knew nothing about.
I checked in the all-metal 1949 Lustron House that was reassembled inside the museum for this exhibition but the drawers were clear of used tissues. There was a couple seated at the dining table, she was applying lipstick, checking her blackberry while they chatted about friends and how they could "totally live there right in the middle of a museum". They were completely comfortable, enjoying the Prefab space. It was kind of cute in a life-as-art way.
Outside on a vacant lot adjacent to the MoMA were five prototype prefabs, the installation of which you can watch on video.


I loved the construction of the Digitally Fabricated Housing for New Orleans: no nails, no glue, you need only a rubber mallet to put together the numbered parts.


Open tread staircase in the photovoltaic rich Cellophane House, adds to the open and airy feeling. The house is full of light and feels surprisingly spacious and cool even on a sweltering New York Summer day


The retro feel but conceptually ultra-modern Burst*008, is bathed in a creamy yellow glow. This prefab isn't a box but rather geometrical folds mean each house will be unique. Sunshine bursts everywhere, including this nifty skylight above the double bed, yet the house remains cool.
This was installation design done really well and a fun afternoon at MoMA. They have had some really interesting, informative and thought-provoking exhibitions over the past year, and that's what a culture-fix should provide.

Leisurama Now

While Jake Gorst was over at The Cool House I got him to sign my copy of Leisurama Now: The Beach House for Everyone 1964- that had arrived the previous day. The book by graphic designer Paul Sahre, is a comprehensive look at the Leisurama phenomenon, which for Sahre began the day he started looking for a summer rental on Long Island and wound up at Culloden Shores at Montauk where some 200 Leisurama homes form a beach community.
Gorst, who wrote, directed and produced Leisurama - A documentary, contributed a chapter to Leisurama Now on the architect Andrew Geller who, as a designer for the firm Raymond Loewy Associates, was responsible for making the Leisurama homes both appealing and easily mass-produced.


The mid-century prefabricated homes were sold by Macy's and came complete with a murphy bed, lamps, color-coordinated linens and even a toothbrush. Sadly the one thing Paul Sahre failed to find as he researched his book was an authentic Leisurama toothbrush, but everything else is photographed and documented in the book, which is a nostalgic snapshot of part of the American dream - owning a second home at the beach.

William Krisel, Architect

You read it here first: sometime soon you will be able to see a documentary about renowned west coast architect William (Bill) Krisel. I know this because The Cool House played host to Desert Utopia film maker Jake Gorst, as he shot an interview with the architect's son. How cool is that? The son of one mid-century architect and the grandson of the architect of my house together at on a warm Saturday in July?


Krisel with partner Dan Palmer, is probably best known for the butterfly roof tract homes he designed for the Alexander Construction Company in Palm Springs between 1956 and 1965. These homes played an important part in popularising what has come to be known as mid-century modernism. Other more expensive homes were often landscaped with cast concrete screens that are so evocative of modern Californian architecture.


In 1962 he designed The House of Tomorrow for Robert and Helene Alexander, which was featured in Look Magazine. It became known as the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway Palace when the singer rented it as a California getaway for himself and his bride Priscilla.
If you want to own a Krisel and Palmer home originals sell for close to $1,000,000 but they can be hard to find. You can also buy a re-released Butterfly House with updated modern amenities through Maxx Livingstone Ltd.

Until the documentary is released you'll have to make do with this fascinating video of Krisel talking about his life and works at the Dwell Conference in 2006. Enjoy!

Modernism in Peril

When I wrote this post about the connection between Lord & Taylor and The Cool House I didn't know I'd be visiting the commercial legacy of Andrew Geller again a mere two weeks later.


Between 1959 and 1969, while at Raymond Loewy and Associates, architect Andrew Geller designed stores for Lord & Taylor, including the one pictured above at Stamford, Connecticut. This building, important not only in architectural terms but representative of the growth of suburban shopping centers and as such an important part of the cultural heritage, is threatened by redevelopment. To preserve the integrity of the building there is a movement to nominate the Connecticut store to the State Register of Historic Places.

Modernism is an important part of American architecture, the significance of which we are only starting to appreciate. Preserving buildings of the recent past, particularly commercial buildings, can be a daunting task but once they are destroyed we are left only with regret and recriminations. To allow a prime example of mid-century commercial architecture by one of the foremost design firms of the time to fall victim to the wrecking ball is to do a disservice to future generations. Globally, The World Monument Fund has launched Modernism at Risk, a program dedicated to raising awareness and preserving modern architecture. In Connecticut there is the opportunity to work at the local and state levels to declare the Lord & Taylor store an architectural landmark.


For an overview on why we should preserve modern architecture read Why must we save places of the Modernist movement and the recent past? an article by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and visit The Recent Past Preservation Network.

Support the Lord & Taylor store preservation effort by sending letters to:
Stacey Vairo
Ct. Commission on Culture and Tourism
One Constitution Plaza
Second Floor
Hartford, CT 06103
Fax: 860-256-2763

Defining a Brand

At last a house post, well house-related anyway.

Some of you will know that Andrew Geller the architect of The Cool House, was responsible for quite a few iconic designs for things other than unique summer homes. Geller worked for many years as the head of the Retail Store/Shopping Center Planning and Design departments for Raymond Loewy Associates in New York, where he designed buildings for department stores including this one at Garden City, NY for Lord & Taylor.

As Geller tells the story, in his early years with the firm there was a meeting with people from Lord & Taylor where they realized they did not have a design for the logo. Geller took a sheet of paper and wrote the name Lord & Taylor upside down and a legendary logo was born. If you look at the logo and compare it with Geller's signature on this sketch and you can see the similarity.


As part of the brand definition Lord & Taylor used a red rose as their symbol but it was phased out in the 90s. Now they are attempting the mother of all makeovers and the rose is making a comeback. Artists, photographers and graphic designers have submitted their entries and now they want YOU to help choose the design. Be aware that it's a little overwhelming, lots of designs to choose from. Too many I think, kind of like the dress selection in the Manhattan store. Still, it's a positive sign when business lets the consumer get involved in the process. As long as they don't mess with the logo itself!

Why should effluence be prosaic?

Pretty much the most basic facility in the City - the Newton Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn - is already an architectural masterpiece. Eight 145 ft stainless steel eggs hold millions of gallons of sewage and convert it into clean water and what will become fertilizer, all while looking like something from an episode of Flash Gordon. And now there is a bonus feature. They will be illuminated at night, from June 3, with a “diaphanous layer of blue light.” That's according to French designer Hervé Descottes whose firm L'Observatoire International is responsible for the lighting project. Poetic, no?

Modernist Architecture Reality Check

For lovers of modernist residential architecture there was mixed news this week. While the Richard Neutra Kaufmann Desert House (above) sold to an unidentified buyer for a respectable $16,800,000 ($19,000,000 including an adjacent plot), the Louis Kahn Esherick House (below) failed to reach its reserve.


Both houses were offered for sale as part of Contemporary Art and Design auctions and their selling price was expected to far exceed their real estate value. Auctioneer Richard Wright, who was hoping to sell the Esherick House for between $2-$3,000,000, didn't blame the declining housing market for the failure to sell, pointing out that bidders at auction would be paying cash and not worrying about a mortgage. Christie's, who sold the Kaufmann House, were also disappointed that bidding was at the lower end of the valuation. They had marketed the house as a work of art with a estimated price of between $15-$25 million.

If I had $1,000,000

Or two, I'd buy a mid-century modern house in California and furnish it with this table from Carl Chaffee. Doesn't it make you want to sit outdoors in the sunshine sipping orange juice?
via Blinkdecor


Of course if I had around $25,000,000 I'd bid on The Kaufmann Desert House at Christie's next month.

How not to die

The answer to this eternal question, according to artists and architects Madeline Gins and Arakawa is to "cradle tentativeness". In an article in today's Home and Garden section of the New York Times the couple explains how by challenging the senses through our environment, we could continue to live forever. This theory is being tested by the design of their East Hampton, NY Bioscleave House. Undulating floors and primary colors are reminiscent of a children's playground, oddly-spaced windows and sockets placed off-kilter are specifically there to throw visitors off balance and so, explains Gins, to wake up the immune system as the body struggles to maintain its equilibrium. If you do start to wobble, grab one of the strategically placed poles, or suggests Arakawa, wriggle across the floor like a snake, as residents of the “reversible destiny” apartments in Mitaka, Japan were told to do.
Be sure to visit the multimedia presentation A Death-Defying House for more images, an interview with the designers and an attempt at an explanation of their philosophy.