Anyone else like MCM architecture?

"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
06/05/2020 at 14:14 • Filed to: None

I’d prefer it to be closer to the ocean than up in the hills of Fullerton, and I don’t have the $ 3 .25M. The guest house is a little plain and could use some redesign and it needs some work on the choice of lighting, but otherwise I could comfortably live here.

I’m pretty sure there are better looking places for less around the country, but for this much space in SoCal the price seems like a bargain.

DISCUSSION (28)

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:29

Yeah. Guilty. Don’t know if you follow the Curbed LA site, but they’ll feature some amazing MCM designs. They had one up from Pasadena a couple of weeks ago that was incredible.

Lots of lovely links in here...

https://la.curbed.com/maps/case-study-houses-los-angeles-map-visit

Kinja'd!!!

Thomas Donohue > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:30

It says 6-car garage, but I don’t see any pics of it .

CP.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:34

I love MCM style, but can’t afford anything like that. Casa de Snuze is a colonial style, though, and it’s easier to just roll with it than turn it into something it’s not.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:35

My wife and I aren’t fans of open architecture. Our house is basically one big room serving as the “living” space with bedrooms on either side. If I lived by myself, it would be nice, but when our family is trying to use the open space for more than one activity, it gets way too noisy.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
06/05/2020 at 14:35

Oh, YES!

I do enjoy checking out Curbed, but it’s been some time since I’ve been over there. I’m mad for the whole CSH program and have several books on the subject. I was supposed to tour CSH #22 a couple of years ago but reluctantly plans had to change. And years ago I started playing The Sims only because someone had modelled the various CSH houses in the game and you could actually explore them.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:35

Yeah, tasteful yet extravagant. Way better than Mountain Vacation Home or ultra modern minimalist. A real game room always throws me off, you have to have a huge house to have a pool table and a bar.

Jim Spanfeller > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:36

Now that’s a cool house. MCM architecture is cool.

For Sweden > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:36

If you waste a significant amount of acreage on tennis courts, you deserve foreclosure .

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:37

They’re cool (my grandparents had a place in this style in La Mirada when I was a kid), but I hate the modernizing updates. They only look right with old 50s-60s style appliances. Like the ancient built-in ovens, ranges, and refrigerators. The color schemes of the era for the kitchens and the styles of the cabinets. In all of these pictures, the updated kitchens look completely out of place as does much of the furniture, though at least some modern furniture doesn’t look as out-of-place as the cabinets, fixtures, and appliances.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Thomas Donohue
06/05/2020 at 14:38

Yeah, I would have liked some pictures of that as well, but I can’t imagine it would be as fancy as today’s garages . I think it’s hiding under the guest house, over there on the far left :

Kinja'd!!!

MonkeePuzzle > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:38

Kinja'd!!!

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:40

This video is fascinating... It’s part of a larger series, but does capture how MCM really nailed the SoCal lifestyle at just the right time. The photo essay on this project is famous even today.

stuckMTB > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:41

MCM Architecture is great, but the horrible 90s-00s era interior decorating kills it for me.

Money =/= taste

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
06/05/2020 at 14:44

I can see where you’re coming from. But I also believe that when houses like this were built they got the best equipment available, and updates should follow the same thought process. The kitchen cabinetry is currently a little too ornate and too dark in color to properly fit in with the design , but could easily be re-done with a style that is more in keeping with the original style while not going all the way back to period equipment.

TheRealBicycleBuck > For Sweden
06/05/2020 at 14:44

That’s not wasted space! It’s a tennis court, basketball court, and helipad, all in one!

DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:45

Whoever decided on those cabinets should be beat with a boomerang clock to knock some MCM sense into them. From an admitted MCM purist

For Sweden > TheRealBicycleBuck
06/05/2020 at 14:46

No windsock, no helipad

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:47

That kitchen remodel is a contractor grade tragedy.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
06/05/2020 at 14:47

Thanks for that vid; I’ll watch it a little later.

The photography of Julius Shulman was absolutely key to documenting this era, and one of the photographers I admire most. In my book collection I also have several documenting his work during this amazing period. I never tire of looking at them, although right now, like most of my books, they’re in a box somewhere...

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch
06/05/2020 at 14:50

Agreed. If I purchased that place the kitchen would have to be thoroughly re-done in a period style before I’d move in.

fintail > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 14:51

I suspect the interior ceilings were natural finish when new, and I’d like that a lot more than painted.

This kind of stuff isn’t uncommon in my immediate area, but is too small for most nouveau riche shitbags around here, so it is bulldozed for mcmoderns, faux farmhouses, and a mctuscan/ mccraftsman/mcchateau here and there.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > fintail
06/05/2020 at 14:59

I agree with you on that ceiling. That’s one thing I love about classic MCM design, and it really adds a nice warmth to a room.

There was an interesting MCM house down in Newport Beach that was on a double lot, with another double lot for the garage and lawn. They were asking way too much for it and it was a bit run down, but was an awesome piece of MCM that I would have loved to have seen saved. Inevitably someone tore it all down and put up four McMansions in its place. I need to search my hard drives to find the pictures that were in the listing. I can only find four of them now, and I think that there were at least 10 originally. The place is known as the Cotton House, designed by Philmer Ellerbroek. He’s an architect that I hadn’t heard of, but once I did a little research he’s quickly become a favorite.

fintail > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 15:16

I’m a sucker for wood ceilings too, and even the right paneling can push my buttons. When I was a kid, a good friend lived in a 30s Dutch colonial that had a 50s rec room addition. The addition was high quality to match the charming original house, and completely paneled, I think in a medium shade of pine. It had beamed ceilings, and the beams were left natural along with the ceiling also being paneled. I loved that room, hanging out at his house was always a pleasure.

I can relate to seeing the shame of losing these buildings. I don’t want to know what has been lost in my area, especially the maybe less trendy 60s and 70s custom stuff which can also be cool, but I understand is an acquired taste.

My grandma is an original owner of a MCM style 60s house, and it is largely unaltered. Nothing custom, just a middle class tract house, although some features like the slate entry, hardwoods throughout, and large stone fireplace would be hard to replicate at a similar price point today. Her little development is also on 10000-15000 sq ft lots, where most new builds in her area are on ~4500 sq ft lots, but with houses double the old square footage. They don’t make em like they used to. A wooden feature of her house is the wide exterior eaves, under the eave, the woodwork was stained and left with a natural finish. It looks high quality to my eyes, even for a house not built for rich people.

Here’s probably my favorite PNW regional wooden house, this one is still there and fairly preserved, as it was designed by a noted architect:

https://www.arthurerickson.com/wood%20houses/catton%20house/

Thinking of houses lost near me, I think this early 70s architect designed house was recently leveled - original owner, entirely preserved, a shame, but just not in style for most now and the location is worth too much:

Kinja'd!!!

I’d keep it all as-is:

Kinja'd!!!

Thomas Donohue > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 15:18

You are correct. Only a pickup truck and a fourth-gen Mustang on Google maps/street view . Not car people, I guess.

Kinja'd!!!

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Thomas Donohue
06/05/2020 at 15:23

Or they own a Ford dealership...

Gone > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/05/2020 at 18:55

We love MCMs. We were looking at buying and doing a big remodel on one in Houston so we could move closer in. Then Harvey happened and flooded everything. Kinda killed that idea. We stayed put - no flooding in our house (though close), hard to trust a lot of neighborhoods to stay dry after that. Sigh.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/06/2020 at 00:49

Brutalist architecture for the win!

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/06/2020 at 01:27

I guess I’d want resto-mod appliances, but the cabinets are inexcusable. It’s just garishly out of place.