Fallingwater

I knew I'd get around to sharing this eventually! Part two of my recent road trip out east: a little slice of heaven, Frank Lloyd Wright style.



Fallingwater, in Mill Run, PA, is a little off the beaten path, and you need a car, or at least an organized bus (orrr a really good idea of bus routes) to get there. Mill Run is kind of a funky, claptrap kind of town. There are some cute buildings downtown, but many of the shopfronts are shut and a number of enormous and once very ornate houses on the main street are now boarded over and abandoned. The typical American downtown in the 21st century?

My sister and I had our own car, as it was a road trip, so the challenge was not so much getting there, but finding it. I managed to veer down an alley at one point, thinking myself the totally-on-top-of-it road warrior, but Mill Run has some funny intersections and a number of one-ways, so beware, tentative driver, if you happen to find yourself there.

When we made it through Mill Run proper and out into the country, we followed a hilly road to the entrance of the park, which is demarcated by a lovely FLW-esque sign that and a beautiful little drive into the parking area through shady trees which hadn't quite started to turn color yet.

After purchasing our tickets, we parked and made for the visitor center, which is kind of wonderful in itself. The central desk is the nucleus of this little amoeba of a visitor pavilion, with little arms that stretched out to encompass the restrooms, a cafe, and the gift shop. It was all quite nice. After a cursory look around the museum shop, our tour was called -- you have to book a tour to see the house -- and we wandered down gravel trails through the woods until we came upon this:

We met our tour guide on a bridge that used to be the driveway around the back of the house and up to the car ports. The water was low that day, as the summer had been so dry, but there was a trickle. The platform at the bottom of the stairwell was several inches above the water, but often hovers at water level when the stream is more active.

Not the best photo, admittedly, but I loved the way the house seemed so float in the forest as we walked in front of it. And from this angle you get a good idea of the number and significance of the windows in the place.

We weren't allowed to take photographs inside the house, which was unsurprising. True to Wright, there was a tendency for small bedrooms and small walkways that opened up into expansive common areas and out onto the numerous terraces. Standing on the various levels and seeing the house and the grounds from different perspectives was really amazing in itself. It seemed never to end.

My favorite thing about Wright was his inclination, especially with this house, to preserve, work with, and emphasize nature. All of the rooms had windows and/or terraces that brought the outside in. And not only that, but he made sure there was very little that obstructed that view. The way the corner windows hinged open on the outsides and left openness in the middle as opposed to a window frame to block the view was genius. But it was also the little things. The original owner wanted a large desk in his bedroom, but there were swinging windows that would be in the way, so Wright simply cut out a quarter-circle shape in the surface of the desk so that the window could still swing open. Outside, the photo below sort of illustrates how no detail was overlooked:

All of Wright's furniture was integrated perfectly with the house; the craftsmanship was unbelievable.

Even if Wright it's my all-time favorite architect, there is still some serious respect to be had for someone who could design something of such beauty -- and something so livable. It was an awesome opportunity to see one of the most iconic houses in the world, and I'm glad we made it there.

dream houses.

OH MY GOD. DO YOU SEE THAT KITCHEN!?? cory buckner architects. i am being absolutely serious when i say that if i owned a 1950s tract house, and i had a million dollars, i would hire these people to do it the f--- up! i found the korman residence on contemporist, but then i went to the website and looked at all their other projects -- mostly the VERY 50s-in-tact home remodels, and i'm telling you, it is impossible to determine if it's a house remodel that i want (for my nonexistent house), or if i should just build a time machine and go back to 1954.

is it weird to get this excited over residential remodels? ;)

the two photographs on top are from the riley residence. the two below are the korman residence.

all i have left to say: cory buckner, two thumbs up while dancing.

heffernan button voss house in oz.

via contemporist.

(better late than never.)

it's been a while since i've seen a recent house that's really ignited any sort of genuine interest. one thing worth noting is that i've got a clear lean in the direction of australian and european (mostly british and irish) contemporary architecture. i'm not sure what it is exactly -- it's really hard to put my finger on, except for the fact that their traditional architecture is based in the same place -- the british isles, and therefore become branches from the same tree trunk, if you will. this house seems to sort of fit that category. it has a very crisp, clean look with the off-white tones, the concrete, and metal roof. the shape of half the house (not the opening-box part) is reminiscent of old cottages.

i love everything about this home. the more i look at the photos, the more i appreciate it. it's simple, yet there are elements that give it detail so it isn't too minimal. the juxtaposition of the wood with the concrete is awesome -- it's got both an industrial and a rustic feel to it, especially in its location on a bay.

i think a major reason i love this house is because it actually could be a home. so many houses i've seen lately have been gigantic millionaire estate sort of contemporary properties -- not something i can relate to, or necessarily even want to relate to. they get so big that they become monsters, piling all of this state-of-the-art crap together to make something that just looks like crap. this is pared-down, simple, just absolutely beautiful residential architecture. i love it.

heffernan button voss. (i wish there was a portfolio, but there's not. not yet, at least.)

farnsworth house.

more photos after the jump.

last week i spent six days in the southern chicago suburbs for work. the saturday that i drove back to wisconsin, i took a detour to plano, illinois to see the farnsworth house, ludwig mies van der rohe's masterpiece of a residence along the fox river.

i was extremely impressed not only with the house, but with the visitor center and the staff. i was running fifteen minutes late for my tour when i got there, but it was absolutely no problem at all to move me over to the next one, and the woman in the gift shop cheerfully put in a documentary about the house for me while i waited.

the house is one of those iconic places that is pictured in every architecture and art history book you'll ever pick up. mies van der rohe accomplished great modernist architecture in this house, and it's no wonder at all that since it was first heard of, it's been world famous.

i'm a big fan of modernist and contemporary architecture, as you might already guess by some of my previous posts. i read dwell magazine to get an idea of the trends, i look at photos in house books and other periodicals... but nothing compares to being able to stand inside the house and experience it for yourself. a house is a 3-D object that can't be appreciated by looking at a photograph, just like a a sculpture can't be appreciated fully until you can walk around it. a house you have to be able to walk around, and walk inside of.

the outside of this house is impressive, but it's when you're inside that you feel you've been transported. standing anywhere inside the house, one cannot see any of the supports holding up the lower porch or any part of the I-beams that touch the ground. you're lifted five feet and some inches off the ground, and with the flawless floor-to-ceiling windows, you feel almost like you're floating through the woods.

mid-century modern = one of my favorite eras in 20th century architecture. this falls into that very broad category, but mostly it's in the international style. theory, of course, being an art history fanatic, is where it's all at. one of my favorite concepts that this house embraces, being an international style home, is the twofold juxtaposition of new-world and old-world. first, it's a modern house in a natural setting. new and old. in the materials of the house, mies used steel and glass along with roman travertine marble and rare primavera wood from guatemala.

it's flawless. i want one. :)

all photos (c) katie mothes 2010

books and architecture and books on architecture.

andres serrano, piss christ, 1987

andres serrano is just one of many artists and illustrators discussed in s. brent plate's book entitled blasphemy: art that offends (black dog publishing). it was released in 2006, a decent-size art book with text that is easily readable... it was definitely interesting. every single image in the book has been considered offensive to someone at some time in history. it includes everything from early christian illuminated manuscripts to bansky, andres serrano's piss christ (a photograph which, at the time of its display, created an uproar in the united states government, calling censorship into question) to the demolition by the taliban of ancient bamiyan buddha statues.

this really is an excellent book. it's a pretty fascinating look at the concept of so-called blasphemous and sacreligious art. it discusses what blasphemy means to different cultures, their religions, and in different areas and eras. i was not personally offended by anything in this book. i'm not religious, so the concept of mixing capitalist imagery with religious imagery doesn't faze me as it might someone who was religious. the point is that it fazes a LOT of people, and this book sort of cracks the surface of why, not just how.

via contemporist

it's been a while since i've posted a house. i've looked at quite a few -- i even scored some back issues of residential architect magazine and architecture magazine at work the other day -- but this house just spoke to me. there's something to be said about the old being transformed into the new. i have an undying love for midcentury modern, as i've posted about before, and when houses from that era are remodeled i'm always really excited to see what they did. even more, i like when there is really old existing architecture and something ultra-modern is added on. i've noticed this moreso in u.k. and irish architecture -- their willingness to use the old, existing building and add on something that complements it without overshadowing it or ruining it altogether.

this particular house is in ballymahon, ireland. (see, there's something about those isles.) there's something particularly and wonderfully irish about this. maybe because the cottage-y aspect of it is not lost on the fact that this is brand-spankin'-new contemporary. odos architects designed this addition. they've done many projects -- the link is to their residential portfolio. there's a friary in there that's absolutely stunning... and while some of the houses look particularly irish to me, others are simply modern and stunning without looking like they belong only in the irish countryside. everything on their site is spectacular.

and last, but not least, i'm just about finished with this book, why architecture matters by paul goldberger (yale). it's a very concise, and at times personal, look at architecture and why it is important. plain and simple, and yet no less interesting. it's not a difficult read, not studded with architectural jargon that a person who hasn't studied architecture wouldn't understand -- the point is to give an overview about exactly what the title says, why architecture matters. why we need it, why we want it, why we love it and hate it and sometimes both at the same time. he discusses how it shapes us, how we expect it, how it impacts our daily lives. everything from the bicycle shed to chartres cathedral, it's here. and it's not too dry. very nice.

laurie frick and her house.

via contemporist

it's been a while since i've come across a new modern residence in my daily perusing that has had me feel so warm and content as this one in austin, tx by krdb. one thing it has going for it is the warmer climate of texas, where i'm always drawn to the desert plant landscaping and the possibility for more open, airy spaces. what's so exciting about this house (for an artist, laurie frick -- the things one discovers!) is how it seems to combine homey-ness and material collections with gallery-like open spaces and white, modern walls. an obvious choice for an artist, but it still seems full of life -- which a lot of modern houses, in their very concept, are not at all. i love the industrial hints -- the I-beams on the ceilings, mixed in with the rugs and pottery and books! and art! it's great. it's not so minimal; a change.

laurie frick's stuff is pretty cool. should check out the link above; she does collages out of found postcards, books, papers, etc. and makes some really spectacular works out of art out of them.

jane eyre and california hills.

who wouldn't kill to live in a place like this? the hills of malibu, california, to be sure. this house is gorgeous. the blair house, designed by bruce bolander (link to entire online residential portfolio). i love-love-love the mid-century throwback with the furniture and the long horizontals. it' very "california!" some of his other work is really awesome, too.

and i'm halfway through a re-reading of jane eyre by charlotte brontë. i last read it in high school, possibly my junior year? and i don't remember being too interested in it at all. i'm not sure i was interested in anything literary then. but on further re-evaluation, i realize that i love it. of course, in the vein of other famous english literature -- jane austin, emily brontë, william thackeray, etc. i'm having a great time. :)

also very, very good is richard ford's collection of three short stories published in the 90s entitled women with men. also worth taking a look at -- a quick read, but not forgettable in the slightest.

aqua tower, chicago.

urban architecture close to home! studio gang architects have just completed the aqua tower in chicago, il. it's slated for a hotel, commercial and retail space, and residential space. i'm going to have to seek this one out the next time i'm in the city; i'm always so excited to see the new towers they're building, but usually i only see the posterboards and the in-prog cranes, i-beams, and slabs of concrete. so excited to get a good look at this one -- it's a real beauty. a new, 21st century, bright addition to the city. and i mean, come on, who doesn't love a high-rise building that peta awards a "proggy" award to?

and speaking of chicago... and architecture... the green + wired smart home at the chicago museum of science and industry is still on exhibit, at the very least through january 10. i went to see it in 2008, though for 2009 they redesigned with a baby nursery, earth-friendly landscaping, new furniture, and more. i'm not sure what their plan is for that baby, but i hope they can keep that exhibit going for a while. it's such a fantastic idea to have a functioning home built right into the center of the museum.

BEST magazine find!

this is worth a second post in one morning. i may not have mentioned this tiny, but very significant point before -- DWELL IS MY FAVORITE MAGAZINE. i'm a modern residential architecture nerd, and this magazine is a) edgy, b) lay-person and user-friend, and c) awesome! but the greatest news yet to come of my love affair with this periodical is that this past september they put out their first spinoff magazine -- make it yours is a diy-friendly version of their magazine, complete with archive photos and ways that you can make the look your own. that's the whole concept. simple, and rad. i saw it in milwaukee last month and passed it up, but now that i'm redecorating a place of my own, i found it again at lowe's this morning and snatched it up without a second glance. i've fallen hard for a magazine. how nerd is that.

roa and a water lawn.

via contemporist

this house is the shit. i know that's not technical lingo, but wow, a yard of water!? it's like the pond swallowed up the lawn and made it more awesome. check out the photos of the interior of the house, also, which are just as fantastic. the landscape design along with the house, in this case, is absolutely spectacular. according to the info, the pond and landscaping was preserved from a house that previously sat on the lot and had to be removed. i think they did more than what they could -- they did what they should. it's so beautiful.

the stats: atherton house in atherton, california by turnbull griffin haesloop architects. and as usual, when i checked out their other projects, i was just as astounded and... in love.

via robots will kill

roa. i'm not sure it's possible to be a fan of street art without being a fan of roa. the work is understated in a way: black and white, simple, realistic. but it's profound. there are numerous photo collections of his work on flickr and on other sites. i have to share vandalog (the link takes you to a particularly alive-looking version of this same bird, which you must check out), and the link above features a large gallery of photos of roa's work.

houses that give me heart palpitations.

via contemporist

OH MY STARS! i am so in love with this house AND its location... i cannot begin to really describe how much i love it. i went directly to the pb elemental architecture website and started fooling around looking at all of their delicious residential architecture. these are the houses that really stop me dead in my tracks... the ones that when all is said and done, look like they grew out of that spot in the earth and were made for exactly that place. this house is magnificent! in the northwest forest, it looks like it is glowing.

this particular house is in north bend, washington. the firm is based out of seattle and all of their featured residences online are in washington. it's no wonder; the northwest is where i would build a contemporary house, no questions asked. the geography is perfect.

i'm keeping these guys in mind. i love everything they're doing.

the metropolis of tomorrow.

i'd never heard of hugh ferriss before i read the september 2008 issue of dwell magazine. i could write an altogether separate post about how much i love dwell, and i probably will, so i'll save it for now. ;) i discovered hugh ferriss's draughtmanship in the archive section of the magazine, which is one of my favorite sections. i was blown away by the sharp contrast, the gotham-like quality of it all, like king kong could swing off any of the huge skyscrapers, or giant spotlights would careen over the angles of architecture that looked simultaneously sci-fi and stalinesque. his publication, the metropolis of tomorrow from 1986 (it coincided with an exhibit in new york city) foreshadows the cities of the future which, to me, look rather like... dubai.

john king put it right out there in dwell -- "in this age of computer imagery and photoshopped verisimilitude, it's hard to imagine a time when one of the nation's most provocative architectural theorists was an illustrator -- a man who never designed an actual building but instead crafted his visions in charcoal."

i'll also have to check out his tome power in buildings.

...

went down to oshkosh's gallery walk. i like local gallery openings, even though it's rare that i find something that really gets me excited. a friend of mine had a small display in a space on main street and it was fun to see her stuff. plus, she's recently engaged! so, i feel i must emphasize my congrats to her for both the show and the engagement. :) woohoo!

marcio kogan.

via contemporist

it's basically the haute couture of modern residential architecture. marcio kogan's paraty house in brazil, on an island between são paolo and rio de janeiro. basic structure is two concrete boxes, one on top of the other. the above link has some spectacular photographs of both interior and exterior. i just can't get over the stone. i love the stone. this house is practically a modern museum. check out mario kogan's website (it's an awesome site). all of the projects are seriously to die for, plus, there's some other funky stuff to check out on there. i feel like i'd practically exist in an alternate universe if a place like this was my home.

cultural center in lille, fr.

via yatzer

i think community arts and culture centers are so important to neighborhoods and cities. i don't have much of one here; at least not a central one like some places, or like this one above in lille, france. lille 3000, designed by franklin azzi architects, they turned an old railway station, gare saint-sauveur into an arts center and cafe. it is totally rad! i had to show the photo above because my favorite part about the cafe is the fluroescent lighting, and other photos show it elsewhere too. Gallery space, theatre, outdoor pavement... how much cooler can you get? i would practically live in this place if i was in lille.

wolfe den by mj neal architects

via contemporist

WOW! 2,400 sq. ft. in austin, tx. by mj neal architects. i love this house. love it. it's my favorite combination of contemporary modern with serious pokes at mid-century. the boxiness reminds me of the eames house. the sand-brick walls are so 1950s i can hardly contain myself. that outdoor fireplace and the wall that the tv hangs on... looks like straight out of an old ranch or something. i'm also big into the wood on the exterior of the house. they took care to construct it out of recycled or responsible materials. a little information is at the link above, or, check out mj neal architects. the ramp house and the twin peaks house projects are two others in their online portfolio that i like quite a lot.