Few people know of one of the best modern houses in the United States, and even fewer have ever seen it. The designer of Richard Halliburton`s house (1938) in Laguna Beach, William Alexander Levy, would never again produce such an exceptional building...
Man Ray: Surrealist Meets Architect
Who contributes more to the public perception of a building, the architect or the photographer? For Harwell Hamilton Harris, a California architect in the 1930s and 40s, the photographer who helped make Harrisà¢s buildings famous was one of the 20th...
The Architecture of Happiness
Many architects are wary of openly discussing the word beauty ࢠin Alain de Bottonà¢s book, The Architecture of Happiness, he asks the large and naàƒve question: What is a beautiful building?
Is it too much to ask of our buildings to aspire to that...
Antonin Raymond & George Nakashima: Soul Mates
Two men, both architects -- one, Antonin Raymond was a Czech who came to America and worked for Frank Lloyd Wright and would become the father of Japanese modernism; and the other, a talented American of Japanese descent from Spokane, Washington, George...
Spanish Modernism: Architecture of Loss and Hope
At the farthest western edge of Spain, where it meets the sea and looks to the setting sun over the Atlantic this desolate landscape is formed by the constant wind and waves. It is a harsh land, this tip of Galicia, where the most valued natural resource...
Charlotte Perriand: A Life of Creation
Charlotte Perriand lived long enough to see her modern furniture became famous, and command six-figure prices at dealers and auction houses around the world. But more importantly, she knew how to live. Perriand, was one of the most influential furniture...
Toasting Hans Wegner: Chairs Worth Celebrating!
In 2006, the world`s best chair designer, Hans Wegner, will celebrate his 92nd birthday and his 75th year of designing furniture. Wegner epitomizes the best in Danish design - the idea that craftsmanship and modern living are not at odds - and that...
Rendering Reality: Herzog & de Meuron and the Crime of Ornament
I`ve found some buildings that look better in reality than in rendering -- and they are all designed by one firm. The firm is Herzog & de Meuron, the Swiss architects, whose de Young Museum in San Francisco opened recently. What struck me about their...
Rendering Reality: Hadid, Libeskind, Koolhaas and Winking Jesus
Some architects depend on computer rendering and much of their reputation is built on computer imagery -- but when was the last time you saw a building in real life that looked better than the rendering? In the computer images, buildings are often...
Bradbury Building & Hallidie Building: Architecture One Hit Wonders
Architectural One Hit Wonders: George Wyman and Willis Polk each designed a building that is so great, it overshadows their career. Wyman`s Bradbury Building (1892) is in Los Angeles and few interior spaces in the world even come close to its magic. He...
Eating Fallingwater: Frank Lloyd Wright and Gingerbread Architecture & Design
There hasn`t been a house built in the past 70 years that even comes close to the iconic status of Fallingwater. Sure it took a good architect and a great client, but it also took the right cultural climate and publicity machine that understood what...
John Lautner and Silvertop: Architecture & Design
Atop the highest peak of the highest hill in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles rests Silvertop -- one of architect John Lautner`s most intriguing houses. "Real architecture is everything in life: Free-enduring spaces, heart, soul, spirit ... "...
So, Brad Pitt Wants to be an Architect?: Architecture & Design
Every few months I hear Brad Pitt talking about his love of architecture, and this week it appears he`s in the thick of it. He`s been blasted by residents of a British seaside town for a controversial design project he`s worked on -- before construction...
Julius Shulman: Architectural Photographer of Modern Dreams: Architecture & Design
Julius Shulman`s photos did more than publicize the work of Modernist architects. He showed the world that the best architecture of mid-century America reflected the unique and imagined lifestyle of this place. In Shulman`s perceptively sharp photos of...
Raphael Soriano and the Shulman House and Studio: Part 4 of 4: Architecture & Design
Julius Shulman is a world-renowned architectural photographer whose career spans the history of Modernism in America. The Shulman House and Studio, built in 1947 and designed by architect Raphael Soriano, has been the photographer`s home for nearly sixty...
Charles Moore and the Burns House: Part 3 of 4: Architecture & Design
Leland Burns is a professor of Urban Planning at Cambridge and UCLA. His house, by architect Charles Moore, is imaginative, playful, colorful and memorable. It`s a "harmonious and fruitful collaboration between architect and client." This is the third in...
Konrad Wachsmann and the Marshall House: Part 2 of 4: Architecture & Design
Hilde Marshall has been interested in the arts and architecture for most of her life. Her modern house in Beverly Hills, California, was built in 1948 by the noted architect, Konrad Wachsmann. Earlier in his career he had teamed with Walter Gropius, and...
Richard Neutra and the Clark House: Part 1 of 4: Architecture & Design
John P. Clark was a music teacher and his house, by Richard Neutra, centers around the creation, performance and enjoyment of music. When Mr. Clark and his wife DeeVee commissioned the house, they helped create a modern masterpiece. Ted Wells presents...
Greene & Greene in Long Beach: ENHANCED Audio & Visual Tour of the Exhibit: Part 3 of 3...
Over 40 images are in this ENHANCED audio and visual tour to take along for your visit to the exhibit, "Greene & Greene in Long Beach: Furniture for the Homes of Jennie A. Reeve and Adelaide Tichenor." Images of the exhibit have been added to this...
Greene & Greene in Long Beach: The Adelaide Tichenor House: Part 2 of 3: Architecture and Design
The Long Beach Museum of Art presents an exhibition of the work of celebrated Arts & Crafts architects Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene. The exhibit "Greene & Greene in Long Beach: Furniture from the Homes of Jennie A. Reeve and Adelaide...
Greene & Greene in Long Beach: The Reeve-Townsend House: Part 1 of 3: Architecture and Design
The Long Beach Museum of Art presents an exhibition of the work of celebrated Arts & Crafts architects Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene. The exhibit "Greene & Greene in Long Beach: Furniture from the Homes of Jennie A. Reeve and Adelaide...
Ted Wells living : simple Introduction
Welcome to Ted Wells living : simple podcasts. Architecture and design can make your life better ... or worse. Architectural historian and writer Ted Wells explores what we can learn from contemporary and historical architects and designers, and the...
