Another gem from North Vancouver legend Fred T. Hollingsworth. Featured in Fred’s book the Neoteric House truly wowed us as we stepped inside. The amount of natural light inside was astounding and so were the original blueprints! Putting the ‘proper’ in British Properties.
West Coast legend and all round awesome guy, Barry Downs opens his studio to the CoMo cameras. What a day, the man is an artist and an incredible architect. He’s working on a modernist gem up in Uclulet that had us spinning. Some pics to give you a taste.
Mike and I spent Saturday afternoon with the man they call Abraham. What a guy, a delight and a laugh. So knowledgeable and on point. He cleared up a lot of clouds that we had in our story and has really given the project a kick. Talk about an art collection! A Corbu relief on the kitchen wall and Claude Tousignant were just the tip of the ice berg. Very excited to watch and log over 3 hours of Abe. We’ll be working with Mr. Rogatnick this year as the project moves forward.
John Entenza’s original 850 square foot home from 1937. What a beautiful spot. The alcove in the car port used to have an outdoor shower. Apparently Entenza would shower off there after walking up from the beach. This was also the house where the Case Study Program was conceived. Click here to read more about the restoration work from Michael Folonis.
Another one of Harwell Harris’ designs meticulously restored by LA architect Michael Folonis. This house is from 1939. Click here to read more about the restoration work from Michael Folonis.
What can we say about Vancouver modernist Fred Thornton Hollingsworth? The man is a delight and a treasure to us here in British Columbia. You can pick up his book ‘Living Spaces’ online. A great addition for your coffee table. Fred showed us a design he’s working on that he was drawing with a brush! This man is talented and he was so humble. He was more interested in talking about the environment and the state of the world than his architecture. We were in awe of his house which felt so expansive, filled with natural light but weighs in at a meager 900 square feet! Nice work Fred.
Vancouver modernist Barry Downs continues to design west coast magic. Super guy and always a blast to hang out with. Some photos of Barry’s house nestled into the rocks in West Vancouver. More on Barry to come.
What can we say about Dion? Son and partner to Richard Neutra and keeper of the Neutra flame. We’ve been fortunate enough to have spent several sessions with Dion. The man believes in nature and his insight into modernism is truly profound. There is a real connection to the Neutra’s and Vancouver, a connection that we are uncovering. We were able to spend an afternoon with Dion and longtime client and friend Lou Scheimer. More info to come, in the meantime check Dion’s site here.
The first lady of Silverlake, our favourite Barbara Bestor. What a gal, such a talented designer fully connected to Silverlake’s arts community, this architect is an inspiration. Barbara showed us Silverlake’s hidden treasures and took us to a number of houses she’s designed. Grab a copy of her book Bohemian Modern if you haven’t already. The world can learn from Barbara Bestor.
Berkeley based architect Henrik Bull gave us a great interview along with a fantastic picnic lunch in his incredible garden/forest. We had a great time with Henrik and look forward to hanging out again. Henrik is responsible for some Northern Californian modernist gems along side some of the best mountain chalets in North America. Henrik was also one of the pioneers of the A-Frame concept. This man deserves a medal! Henrik, lunch is on us next time! After lunch he got out the map and pointed us toward some friends in an Eichler community, so much fun. Henrik is also featured in Pierluigi Serraino’s NorCalMod book. A great window into the world of Bay Area modernism.
