bungalow living elsewhere

Living in a bungalow has had its ups and downs. The upside is that the, diminutive, central living space is on one floor. The down side, is that, we're all on top of each other. A close knit family that sometimes wants to unravel because of those pearls/purls. But it has its charm and history.

manhattan beach cottage, 1902 torn down in 1987. here is this same location, as it looks today.

Once upon a time, this little beach town was nothing more than sand dunes dotted with these charming beach houses. The one I live in was built with the intention of summer use by those who lived inland, like Pasadena and other places that soared with heat in those hot summer months. They were built with small galley kitchens and maybe 2 bedrooms- one for the children and one for the parents.

the child of the first owners in the front yard of my beach bungalow {early 40s}

Over the years, one by one, these bungalows have disappeared giving way to larger...much larger homes. Homes, I suppose that are more suitable for modern lifestyles.

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a little, bungalow, back history:

In the late 19th century, the bungalow style house spread in popularity across America. With its beginnings in India, as small, single family homes, the structures eventually became holiday homes for the British Colonists. In time the idea of making these, small homes into year round dwellings gained popularity. Over the years, architects have used the bungalow concept as an inspiration to recreate varying versions of the original holiday house.

I love this, Seattle, pagoda style bungalow, originally built from a 1920s Sears catalog.

A second story was added by architectural firm, Bosworth Hoedmaker, maintaining the integrity of the design while adding space.

factoid to add to your useless knowledge bank: Chicago, sometimes known as the 'bungalow belt' is home to more bungalows than any other type of architecture. There are approximately 80,000 within the city limits alone.

Chicago bungalows are usually brick and have the distinctive design element of the roof gable being parallel rather than perpendicular to the street.

another notable: most bungalows have a distinctive front porch and a low roof line.

the large front porch created community among neighbors, as a place to sit and visit.

this is my kind of bungalow...

It looks like maybe it was added onto? check out all of those windows! I can only imagine how beautiful the light is in those two front rooms.

While the bungalow was introduced to California in the late 19th century, the fad spread up to our Canadian cousins over the next 10 years. Houses like these Ontario, Canada bungalows, started showing up around the early teens.

above, another example of the 'pagoda' or 'aeroplane' bungalow. I love these. They're so quirky.

all of the limestone ( i think?) above reminds me of the bungalows found in the Kansas City, Missouri area .

I'm always a sucker for vintage ephemera. It's great to see these homes as they were intended.

:: in case you missed it:: a manhattan beach bungalow tour

Architect and Designer, Virgil McDowell

The Pacific Design Center offers a great lecture series {open to the public and free} in which they bring notable designers to discuss their particular area of expertise. It's a little like auditing a class back in college. An hour of free learning by an expert in the field. A great resource if you haven't already checked it out.

Not long ago, architect and designer, Virgil McDowell's name popped up on the weekly email from the lecture series. Having seen him around town at various parties and checking out his site, I knew that this would be one I didn't want to miss.

McDowell's topic was " The Golden Age of California" - an incredibly informative hour about the architecture and design of Southern California. Beginning with the Classical vernacular spectrum and moving on to Spanish Colonial Revival ending with a list of do's and don'ts when it comes to features on this particular building design. I left with so much renewed excitement for design and architecture. I was thrilled with the amount of knowledge imparted in that short amount of time.
I wanted to run home with his hand out, make copies for every builder in Southern California, who is continually at fault for creating all of these faux Mediterranean monstrosities. {I'm sorry, but it's true}

McDowell, knows his stuff and knows it well. He is truly an expert in his field.

A few weeks later, on a Friday afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit Virgil in his offices. Based in the Pacific Palisades, the building looks like your basic, 2 story office/retail building built in I don't know, the 30s? the 50s? 60s? hard to tell from the exterior. But it has your basic Starbucks on the ground floor, maybe a cell phone store, mattress store.... just... very nondescript.

Through a pair of glass doors and up a flight of stairs into a sterile office building interior, there sits - at the end of the hall - a black lacquered Regency door leading into Virgil's office.

Passing through the threshold you're instantly transported into what looks like something overlooking East 67th street in New York- not the tops of umbrellas from the Starbucks below.



Although Virgil McDowell is a master at Classicism and is able to roll off information with expertise of someone schooled within ivy covered walls, the reality is that McDowell's upbringing is closer to home. Brought up in one of L.A.'s toughest urban neighborhoods, Watts, Virgil's chances of even getting a secondary education was little to none.

The middle child of a single father, McDowell fell into his love of architecture and design by way of chance. Taking a drafting class in high school, which then turned into a first job.The bug had bitten him.

Driven by his passion for design, he saved his money and spent summers traveling to Europe on foot by day, he studied the ancient roman remains and the spread of architecture throughout Europe. By doing so he was learning, from the ground up, the structures and foundation that constitute what we know as Classical architecture.

In effect, McDowell had afforded himself an education that far surpassed any he could have received in ancient library, late at night. He educated himself in the most human sense of design, by living and breathing the very space that these great structures were inspired by, built and used.

A story of possibility manifested by passion, McDowell's is one that is both compelling and inspiring. What grabbed me initially about McDowell, was his vast knowledge and incredible ability to reproduce details but seeing his work in person, was really something else. McDowell's work is impeccable, accurate and perfectly executed on all levels. So authentic that it's often hard to see what is original and what he has corrected.

the entrance into the workroom of the offices {Benjamin Moore, Woodlawn Blue walls} no detail forgotten.

an elevation by McDowell

a portion of McDowell's inspiration wall that lines the work room

a peek into the back room reveals the "brass tacks"

A front door and vestibule area that was originally built in the 30's in L.A.'s Hancock Park neighborhood. McDowell, saw that the proportions were off raising the first floor window height and creating an entirely new front door with new masonry that better fit the rest of the facade.

sketch for the, Hancock Park, iron front door.

the final project.

If you missed his last lecture, McDowell will be continuing his lecture series in the Fall with "Regency and Hollywood Regency and their Differences" October 6th. Please see the PDC website for more information.

**Virgil will also be joining a fantastic line up of panelist for the upcoming, Legends of La Cienega panel, "East Meets West" May 7th 9-10 @ Rose Tarlow. {Other panelists will include, Joe Nye, Mary McDonald, Carolina Irving and Lisa Fine.}

the brain

I'm so intrigued and drawn to this project by the OSKA architecture firm: A think tank for a film maker created out of poured concrete and nestled into a wooded area.

When done well like this, to me there's something so beautiful about the juxtaposition of industrial elements like these with 'nature'. Those windows both bring in and frame the verdant surroundings, making them every part of space and creating a warmth to something that would otherwise be cold.

and check out the interior, who wouldn't want a fireman's pole in their idea lab, not to mention a window the perfect height and size for a dog face to peer from.

those floors, the piano, the pulleys, the BOOKS! I could spend some serious, Sunday afternoon alone time in here.

you know, sometimes it's all about a wall of those damn mullioned windows. check out that light streaming in.

This team is so incredibly talented, be sure to check out more of their work on their site. I've found myself stuck on it for a good hour perusing and dreaming. Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen


"The Brain is a 14,280 cubic-foot cinematic laboratory where the client, a filmmaker, can work out ideas. Physically, that neighborhood birthplace of invention, the garage, provides the conceptual model. The form is essentially a cast-in-place concrete box, intended to be a strong yet neutral background that provides complete flexibility to adapt the space at will. Inserted into the box along the north wall is a steel mezzanine. All interior structures are made using raw, hot-rolled steel sheets."

russian orphans

I stumbled across these photos a while ago when it was a blazing hot beach day, summer in full glory. They didn't really feel timely. But now with Autumn upon us, Halloween only a few weeks away, they seemed perfectly suited.

I honestly know very little about these. Apparently, there are old houses, deep within the forests of Russia, that sit, undisturbed, some with furnishing still intact.

Sort of a Hansel and Gretel visit Grey Gardens feel. Photographer Andrew Qzmn, went to the town of Chukholma {which I'm pretty sure is Russian for "Oklahoma" } 300 miles northeast of Moscow to photograph these old abandoned, homes elaborately ornate in the Terem influenced style.

Hauntingly beautiful.