Anymous Architecture: Villa by Kystvejen

There are alot of solid good houses, immaculate in materials and execution, that will never make it to the design and architecture literature. L'ESPRIT NOUVEAU exists to present these anonymous objects of design alongside their more famous dito. Below you'll find one of these works of architecture that have been forgotten or probably never acknwledged in the first place. The pictures (by Mikael Strange -nothing wrong with them) come from a run-of-the-mill interior magazine article that focuses more on the boring and semi-chic owner-couple and their uninspiring collection of white shite that clutters the beautiful structure that an architect named Ole Henriksen gave birth to just north of Copenhagen, sometime on the sixties. That house is of course the true star of the article, and it is a shame that not more focus is layed upon it - or what's left of it. No floorplan. And while the owner-couple makes alot of talk of staying true to the original spirit of the house - they always do - walls have aparetly been moved, floors replaced and *surprise, surprise* a new kitchen has been installed. The best thing about the interiors of the house is not surprisingly the part that is untouched by the new owners:

The entrance, an architectural space in it's own right as was often the case with these villas of the sixties. Greenlandish marble and oregon pine, and black metal fixtures. Ole Henriksen knew what he was doing, all right.

 

House in the Trees

from A NAVE DO BOM GOSTO

Late Modernism: Myresjöhus

The home shows the great opportunities inherit in the buildings of the seventies, with its big windows and more open floorplans. In Swedem the materials popular in these late modernist buildings, such as various bricks (mexitegel), stained wood, glazed ceramic tiles and concrete/stone mixes are frowned upon and considered "ugly" by most. But just as we see a growing accceptance of the functionalist architecture of the first half of the 20th century, it is only a matter of time until the spotlight will shine upon the qualities of the sixties and seventies.

This couple has done the best with their 1972 pre-fab house, leaving many original details, while sensibly upgrading it to modern standards. The house, its furniture by Wegner, Mogensen and Jacobsen and their new black-stained kitchen from CPH Square all resonate perfectly in the modern, scandinavian, traditions.

from bolig

White Bricks Part II

Rechter House by Pitsou Kedem Architect, 2006-2009.

via mopu42

White Bricks I

This couple fell for a falling building, aquired it for land value, and proceeded with the original architects help “restoring it exactly like it was built.” When asked why, he looks nonplussed. “Why would we change something when 50-plus years later it functions beautifully and is part of the architect’s vision? We don’t want the house to look like every other house,” he says, “because it never did.”

“It’s probably a little nutty,” Mandolene admits, reflecting on their insistence on pure preservation (about 75% was salvaged). And yet, he adds, “people think that this style of architecture doesn’t deserve to be landmarked because it’s not old enough, but it is part of architectural history, and it’s slowly disappearing.

1957, Arthur Witthoefft

As one of the comments say "a man and his young son walked by (presumably from a neighboring McMansion). Someone overheard the father say to the son, "Some people like this kind of stuff."

from dwell

AISI "Style In Steel Home," 1968

Photos by Julius Schulman

From the Palm Springs Modern Committee