Gamble House A Symphony in Wood

 

 Here is a gorgeous video of the Gamble House recently posted on Houzz

Greene and Greene Style Homes, New Construction

If you are a Greene and Greene fanatic you probably enjoy looking at pictures of new construction as well as the original masterpieces from the brothers Greene.  I have collected a variety of websites that feature some new construction projects and a few sites with photos of original Greene & Greene's that aren't in the books on this subject.

It's always fun to see how modern day architects develop this style.

A gallery of websites featuring new construction of Greene & Greene style homes

Follow the links below for many more pictures
This home was featured in Diablo Magazine and is near Walnut Creek, CA ....... link

Bruce Aidell's house, video from Fine HomeBuilding magazine. I had never seen this video until today and found it quite interesting.  Other magazine features from the past made the kitchen look very dark whereas I think the lighting was more favorable when they did the video.  The kitchen is way to big for me but you may find other elements of interest here. And at 8 minutes there is a lot to see!   Link

Erler Design, Loblolly House, I want to do some of these on some of our windows.
I sketched something similar when on the Behind the Ropes tour of the Gamble House where you get to see detail up close.     Link

A few years ago I had the chance to help with the wine crush of Greene & Greene furniture maker Tom Stangeland.  Another man there said he owned a home in Medina, Washington that had been featured in American Bungalow in the early 2000s as a Greene & Greene inspired home.
I am pretty sure this house is his.  Link

The Lodge at Torrey Pines is a large-scale new construction built in the Greene & Greene style that is a fun place to visit.  We went there for lunch one day and walked around the property.  Link

Here is another architect's take on Greene & Greene  Link

Robertson House

Some detail of our house in process ...... we are involved with the cabinetry, lighting, and plumbing now.

Original Greene & Greene Homes Rarely Seen

Robinson House

The Robinson House was lovingly restored after earthquake damage, the story is found here: Link

Pratt House

Casa Barranca is actually The Pratt House in Ojai, California, the current owners contract with yoga groups for destination weekends.  If you love yoga, I think this would be a great way to "live" in an original Greene & Greene for a weekend.  It sits on a gorgeous piece of property.  Book early to get a private room.  Link

We are always interested in finding more websites that feature Greene & Greene, please let us know of any you recommend !  Thank you.

Arts and Crafts Travel--The Grove Park Inn, Asheville, North Carolina

image from Grove Park Inn website

I have always wanted to visit the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC and this month I finally did!

Each year a HUGE conference takes place there in February for people interested in the Arts and Crafts Movement.  March is our spring break so we missed the conference --my plan was to meet with the conference organizer Bruce Johnson but he was travelling when I visited.  I secretly wish I lived in Asheville so that I could work on the conference each year--to me it would be the perfect job.  Here is a link if you are interested in the February 2015 Arts and Crafts Conference  this is probably the largest gathering of vendors and Craftsman aficionados each year in the country.

The main lobby is flanked end to end with huge fireplaces.

The hotel is pretty amazing. It was built in 1913 in just 362 days by 400 men working 10 hour days 6 days a week.  The scale of it alone is awe inspiring.

A Primer on Greene & Greene and their Elements of Style

One of my favorite books!

As we build our home in the style of Greene and Greene, we find ourselves explaining to friends the various elements that will define our home, it is quite unusual yet beautiful.  If you have lived in Pasadena then you know the details...as do most architects.  But in this time of Pinterest and houzz.com many new people are being introduced to the Craftsman style and Greene and Greene in particular. Once you have been bitten you want more information, more pictures, more ideas on how to do the kitchens and baths that fit today's lifestyles without abandoning the essence of a G & G home. 

With this post I will give you a brief synopsis of the Greene brothers work, their elements of style, and what lies ahead on our project this year. 

Rosellini A Bit of Seattle History

Something very wonderful happened a few months ago.  I was estate sale shopping at Victor Rosellini's house and found a fantastic stained glass light fixture.  Victor was a well known restaurant owner in Seattle and is a bit of a legend around here.  I am into food and wine so for me to stumble upon this light fixture and have the opportunity to put a little Seattle history into our house is pretty cool.  We don't know if this was installed in his home or one of the restaurants because the sale was packed with a combination of home and business.  In any case it will be a welcome addition to our home.




The apron of the fixture

A new beginning

It's been about six months since my last post.  I was sparing you the heartache of a long, wet winter without a roof.  We are now seeing lovely warm(er) days and some blue skies so hopefully the roof will be completed in the near future.  While waiting for this to happen I had to divert my attention elsewhere so this post will be all about that diversion.  It came in the form of light fixtures!

But before I get to that, I wanted to show you one of the first interior finished pieces.  This is a little exposed rafter in the master bath above a window that provided a special surprise to us.  My son helped to build this with one of our craftsman--and at age 18 it is something to be proud of and grateful for the experience of learning how to build.
When the window was cut in we realized we have a view of Puget Sound to the south.  We thought our only view would be due west but most of the maritime traffic is to the south so we now get a little peek of it each day.

Right now the masons are in the house building the fireplaces so I need to get some pictures soon since the fireplace is an important central element to most Greene & Greene homes.

Lighting the Greene and Greene Style Home

The kitchen is where I decided to start with lighting since it concerned me the most.

Construction September 2012

This part of the blog is more for our family so they can see the progress of the house.  We are in a race against the weather to get the roof on and the house dried in within the next month.



Guest room

Kitchen

Laundry room






Construction July and August 2012

So much of what is happening on the house now can only be appreciated by someone who builds homes.  When these photos were taken, much of the work was structural.  This blog is an archive for us and it will soon be beneficial to others who are interested specifically in the Greene and Greene style as we begin to delve into the finishes over the next year.  (though already there are some posts on furniture and lighting etc.)

Our home is much smaller in scale than most of the homes built by Greene and Greene but it gives us a taste of how complicated their work must have been using simpler tools and having multiple projects in process simultaneously.

Mort's Cabin



Pendleton Blankets

It's not just a store, it's an adventure.
I have never seen so much packed into a little store--lots to discover for lovers of all things arts and crafts, cowboy, vintage, and Native American plus many unique items.

Darold's family had a cabin near Mt Rainier National Park.  The cabin, being owned by his father, was called Mort's Cabin. Darold truly loved the time his family spent there and his store is filled with things that remind him of the time spent at the cabin --so naturally it has the same name.  Mort's style is what Darold calls: rustic design.

I see the store as a fantastic resource for Ephraim Faience and Roseville pottery.  And as I spend more time exploring every nook and cranny I have found books on Greene & Greene and Stickley, collectibles, and an eclectic selection of all things new and old.

Construction --The Big Pour

It has been a long wait but the weather improved enough for the radiant heat elements to be installed in the basement floor and the concrete pour was this week.

Here is the proud Papa watching over a professional crew--this is a huge moment for us---to have a whole crew working at once.  And since we have a short window of time to get the house weathered in before fall, my hope is that this trend will continue through the summer.  Finally you will begin to see some good resources here.

While I have been waiting to collect bids on the various elements of the project I have become immersed in vintage stores, estate sales, antique shopping, consignment stores.  I am keeping a notebook of all the great things that I find along the way and their prices.  Recently I visited a unique store in Seattle called Mort's Cabin and will post about that next.

Daniel Ridgway Knight Artwork in Gamble House

During my recent behind the scenes tour of the Gamble House with Jim Ipekjian I noticed an oil painting of a Dutch girl.  Since we were not allowed to take pictures I wrote down the name of the painter and looked up information about him later online.

His name was Daniel Ridgway Knight (1839-1924) and if you search his name for images you can see a whole collection of his work, any of which would be gorgeous in a bungalow home.  It looks like prints are available and there are some reproduction services out there but I am not sure what to think of that idea--maybe someone can enlighten me.

Vintage and Antique Lighting Field Trip

I went on a field trip recently----to the tulip fields---but also to a fabulous vintage lighting store in nearby LaConner, Washington.  And I can't wait to go again.

A Lighting Plan Allows Your Home to Glow

Even if you are not remodeling right now, any craftsman home is enhanced with warm, inviting light fixtures.  Craftsman homes are filled with color; and a lighting plan allows your home to glow like a treasure box. Well-planned lighting sets a mood, is welcoming, provides light for specific tasks, and can enhance certain architectural elements in your home.

Bungalows shine with beautiful lamps, wall sconces, and lighting tucked behind architectural elements.  Two of the quickest ways to improve the quality of any room is with “period appropriate” paint color for the walls and improved lighting.  I love considering the possibilities using these two simple ideas.

Arroyo Canyon Stone and Clinkerbrick Wall

I took this photo-- this house is around the corner from the Gamble House.
It is one of the most perfect examaples of clinkerbrick movement and great stone placement.

We have someone working on our landscape design and we need to figure out what the exterior elements will be for our house.  A process I am sure many people go through at this stage is pouring over books and magazines and websites searching for photos of what other people have created to collect ideas.  Here is what I have collected......

Pasadena Trip

from Karen Winters- Arroyo Seco Trail

If you are passionate about the American Arts and Crafts movement then Pasadena California is your Mecca. I just returned from a trip to meet with highly skilled craftsmen in both stained glass and wood working. While I was there I had the opportunity to visit with a number of people who truly live the Greene and Greene lifestyle every day.  Over the next few months I will feature those I met while in Pasadena.

Greene and Greene Inspired

Some of these folks work in the stately homes as docents or they are intimately involved with restoration work of the home --or they do both!  Some of them own and live in a Greene and Greene home, others have crafted a business in architectural salvage, craftsman furniture or lighting, and stained glass—my personal favorite.  The Karen Winters painting above shows a scene from where my husband grew up along the Arroyo Seco Canyon in Pasadena (a similar painting hangs in one of the G & G homes I visited this past week). A number of gorgeous G & G homes are also perched along the Arroyo Seco......

Jim Ipekjian Restoring Greene & Greene Grandeur

I am going on a trip to Pasadena! 

The last few Pasadena trips were to family.  My husband grew up in the neighborhoods chock full of Greene & Greene homes, and we always drive through the streets during every visit dreaming about our finished home (someday) in Seattle .

Greene & Greene Craftsmen
This time I have the unique opportunity to meet a number of the talented craftsman who have replicated or restored furniture, doors, and light fixtures in Greene & Greene homes....Details and Joinery class by Jim Ipekjian, it's a behind the scenes 3-hour class....

Help to Save the Thorsen House

Photo from Dwell magazine

If you follow Greene & Greene you are familiar with the Thorsen House.
A masterpiece of the American Arts and Crafts movement, the William R. Thorsen house in Berkeley, California (1909), was the last of the masterfully crafted ‘ultimate bungalows’ designed and furnished by renowned architects Charles and Henry Greene.....

Greene & Greene Furniture

Curiosity.....Knowledge....Passion......Craftsmanship

Tom Stangeland has each in abundance; even in his early days when he made small motorized airplanes these qualities were evident.  As I was driving away from his woodworking shop/winery I couldn't help but kick myself for not getting a photo of those early flyers.

Now Tom makes absolutely gorgeous furniture—and that has always been the case but the furniture wasn't always in the Arts & Crafts tradition inspired by Greene & Greene.  A turning point in his craft was in 1990 when a music industry icon visited the Seattle gallery where Tom's furniture was displayed.......

Construction--Looking Forward into 2012

Much has happened with our construction since the last post in June but not enough to interest the casual observer.  Instead of posting news of the house we will feature the people and businesses that have a love of all things Craftsman and specifically Greene & Greene.  I now have time to explore these resources, learn about their stories, delve into why they are so passionate about their craft, and report it back to you.

I hope you join us on the journey.....in the near future I will be visiting a Greene & Greene furniture craftsman, living for a short time in an actual G & G home, and learning more about Ephraim Faience Pottery.

For those interested in the actual construction....

Construction Retaining Walls and Front Stairs