Frank and Me

A number of people have remarked that my house seems to be in the vein of Frank Lloyd Wright, which I've taken as a compliment, even though I honestly don't see it. However, to assume I've consciously tried to emulate him is incorrect; I did not design my house with his—or any other architect's work—in mind. My design was influenced primarily by necessity, very much a case of form following function, with the only aesthetic goal being to integrate the structure into its surroundings. That it might seem FLW-ish is purely coincidental.

I admire FLW's work—to a point. I've visited Fallingwater (above), as well as two other homes he designed: Duncan House and Kentuck Knob. But while I find his designs intriguing in appearance, I confess I also feel that he sacrificed a degree of functional practicality for the sake of a rather pretentious, self-conscious visual aesthetic. For one thing, FLW had absolutely zero understanding of how to design a decent kitchen (obviously the man never cooked). He also hated hallways with a passion; he considered them a waste of space, and made them as narrow as he could, resulting in uncomfortably small, barely navigable spaces that looked and felt rather awkward. In my home, by contrast, the hallway is a (comparatively) large, open space with windows over the steps that fill it with natural light and provide inviting glimpses of The View as it draws you down into the main living space. I call it The Grand Gallery. I've watched visitors' reactions, and it seems to have a kind of magical effect.

Honestly, I'm much more enamored of architect David K. Burton, a contemporary of FLW who had a more conservative, controlled take on the mid-century modern style. I'd sent my architect a link to a website featuring the house he built for himself in Monterey, California (below) as an example of the design aesthetics I admire, both inside and out. One can detect subtle Japanese touches in his austere yet approachable style, and it's been an invaluable source of inspiration for me; I truly wish I could have used more of his design concepts.


OpenHomesPhotography

But while my architect did his best to capture some of Burton's tone in the one aspect of the house I gave him free rein over—the roof—in the end it didn't work. Ultimately my architect's blueprints only served to get me the permits I needed to build, although this is not meant as a slight against him in any way; it's simply how things worked out. So, bottom line, my home is well and truly mine in every respect, complete with my own peculiar stylistic touches, not to mention no end of blunders.

Occasionally I've been questioned about my choice to make the bedroom, living room and kitchen all one space. Although I try to describe it as something of a loft apartment, sometimes I'm still faced with furrowed brows and these FAQs:

But, what about having the bed in the living room? I'm a neat-nick: my bed gets made every morning, so guests would never be confronted by a bedroomy mess. Plus, with such a small living room, the bed—along with a pile of extra pillows—can serve as an additional makeshift sofa, albeit in a kind of groovy sixties fashion.

But, what about having all of those huge windows in the bedroom? Well, the windows look out on nothing but a woodland wilderness, as opposed to a sidewalk, street, or neighbor's yard; any passers-by in my yard would be arrested for trespassing! The only creatures to see me change clothes are deer and squirrels. Anyway, it's just me and my cats living here. But if I should happen to have the good fortune of a stay-over guest uncomfortable with the arrangement, she can change in the spacious bathroom or walk-in closet.

But, what about kitchen smells? Well, unless I've done something terribly wrong, kitchen smells shouldn't be objectionable. And if I did burn something, there's always room freshener. Or lots of open windows!

Consider all of the plusses: When I make a fire in the wood stove after dinner, I can continue to enjoy it after I've retired. I can watch the same TV screen from the sofa or the bed. I can fill the entire living space with music and enjoy it uninterrupted during most any activity. Best of all, I can gaze out upon The View continuously.

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