Diane Keaton’s front door, image from Hooked on Houses
After much ado (ok not really that much.) After a little ado, we determined that the casa is a prime example of vernacular architecture. Basically, vernacular architecture is a craftsman’s riff on what was going on at the time using available materials. In our case, 1915 and orange Colorado brick. And that made us very happy because we really want to be true to the house’s time period where it feels right but it also means there’s no specific style we need to adhere to.
We’d been researching architecture and decorating styles we liked for a while and we both adore Frank Lloyd Wright and Mission/Craftsman style. However, Jay also is attracted to Rustic French architecture, the manly Medieval kind in the old French villages they show the cyclists screaming through during coverage of the Tour de France. And I love Tuscan and a beachy cottage look too. The style that seems to blend many of those characteristics is Spanish Colonial Revival which, fortunately, was also a relevant style of architecture in the early 1900s. And, while it’s certainly about wrought iron and chunky wood, it can also feel very clean and modern. (Above, for example, the mod script house number and address KILLS me.)
To us, Spanish Colonial Revival means:
Images from Hooked on Houses, personal and unknown.
We’re planning to use that as a guide as we move forward with renovating the house. Particularly the exterior. However, I dream of replacing the crazy glass block arch currently in between the dining room and kitchen with an enormous wood beam. Here’s a quick, bad pic courtesy of the iPhone. Speaking of which, I know I owe the entire gallery of before pictures. Hope to tackle that task in the next few days. More soon!
You might already be aware that the casa is of questionable lineage. Since we moved here we’ve tried to figure out how to characterize its style architecturally. Interestingly it was a neighbor through a posting on Apartment Therapy + a trip to the local historical library that helped us figure it out. Our house was constructed in what is known as Vernacular Architecture.
I wasn’t familiar with this term so, of course I Googled it.
Vernacular architecture categorizes methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions. It reflects the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it exists.
It makes sense that I wasn’t able define the house’s style in strict terms when it is basically a conglomeration of styles with a healthy dose of winging it, albeit by a craftsman. And, you know what? We LOVE that. Because, despite the fact that Vernacular Architecture could be considered crude and unpedigreed, it also means our house, even in its earliest form, was one-of-a-kind. Short of installing orange shag carpeting, there’s no right or wrong way to go about renovating it.
So, with lots more thinking and planning to do, it is feeling like Spanish Colonial Revival is going to be a strong direction for us in our renovation:
1. It is appropriate for 1915 when the house was built
2. Many elements of this style that are appealing to us, wood beams, wrought iron, tile floors, walls & roofs, are shared elements with a Tuscan and French feel we like too
3. It’s fitting with the style of the stucco addition
4. Lastly, Spencer and I were in Malibu last year where we ran into Dermot Mulroney (shown gratuitously above because he was cute and sweet) and we also happened upon the Adamson House. We walked all around it, snapping photos for ideas. Then, in a stroke of what surely must be Kismet, it came up later in my research as one of the best examples of Spanish/Mediterranean Revival.
While known for its extensive use of tile, we were more enamored of the exterior with stucco, teal, chunky wood and iron accents.
I’ve been collecting photo references of the Spanish Colonial Revival style for several months. But we have lots of other projects to tackle, Spencer’s Gypsy Bedroom, sod, fence-painting, and another trip to the historical library, before we even begin considering doing anything major to the exterior. So will save those for a separate post. More soon.
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