From absolute Retro, to pre-fabs to the funkiests of Atomic Moderns, back in the post-war era, roughly between 1933 - 1960s, many a-changes were happening all at the same time. Not just politically and economically, also the peoples' mindsets were ticking away differently. Brazil and Scandinavia were introducing to the world extraordinary architects that are still of great influence, their main interests seemed to be designs that were clean, simple and integrated with their environment.
The MCM style was also embraced in the US, more as a peek of the International and Bauhaus styles, including works by M. van der Rohe and Gropuis, although the Americans injected their own flare cleverly utilising materials to adapt to the environment (mainly Californian desert). Considering the specific needs for a residence in the Mojave, the designs turned out to be less formal than the Scandinavian and Brazilian climates required. Function and form at its best.
We moved to near Palm Springs about a year ago after a couple of years in LA and about 15 years in London. I first fell in love with the energy of the high desert (Joshua Tree area). The way it smells, how quiet and bright the night is, how the ground seems to breathe after a day in the 110F. The day after I discovered that my favourite, all of those low-pitched roofs, open-beamed ceilings, floor-to-ceiling glass and wide eaves were in abundant in the low desert. All those years growing up pausing the VCR while watching 'The Twilight Zone' back in a Scandinavian forest, just to drool over open floor plans and big windows that brought the outdoors in. All that sun, all those exotic palm trees and cacti. I loved growing up in snowed hills and forests, but getting the same principals in design, in a completely different climate?! That still sounds alien.
So here we are, living amongst the California Moderns. We were lucky to grab a 1959 flat roof little California Ranch, which we are forever and happily working on. These blog is to keep together all of the images I like, to inspire us and maybe others and to show how are we getting on with it. With the Scandinavian in me and the Native American in him, we have the Function side of the equation down, the Form? That's more of an infinite loop.
Our home is nothing spectacular if compared to the Huxleys and the Alexanders, the Freys and the Millers above, but nevertheless, a little bit of desert to call our own.
Enjoy,
Bon x
PS: I would credit the images if I knew where they come from, I have collected them for almost 2 decades from all sorts of places. Please feel free to leave a credit on the comments. It would be very much appreciated.
