Favorite homes/estates in the U.S.

All the home/estate I'd ever want.

Originally Posted by zjpj83

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^^^ Exterior looks like a prep school dorm. Do you agree with the link's desription of it as a "beauty." I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I love modernism, like the house very much, and would live there were it not for all of that crazy white stuff on the ground, but I feel that the light colored brick is a bit unfortunate. There are things that date architecture in a good way, and tan colored brick is not one of them. It would not be a deal killer, though. The snow would be. Like mafoo, I grew up in a nearly totally glass house, but with a lot of protection and space from the neighbors. Light makes me feel good, and the lack of it makes me unhappy.

My house was built in 1931, traditional style, yet pretty much the only spaces in the house that aren't bathed in natural light are the hallways and the basement.

Originally Posted by Manton

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My house was built in 1931, traditional style, yet pretty much the only spaces in the house that aren't bathed in natural light are the hallways and the basement.
I think that architects have known for a very, very long time that natural light is essential to a happy life. Our place, built around the same time as yours, is also very bright. There is a difference, however, between glass walls which supply a sort of light that makes you feel like you are outside, and traditional windows which create those amazing streaks of light broken up by the panes. I can't be sure as to which I prefer. Something like teh house LK posted offers both a modern look, and the charm of the broken up beams of light that you get from a traditional place. A lot of modern architects do it with little slits and cutouts, and that works well too. The only way to go wrong, IMO, is to have too little light.

I'll drive a Lagonda.

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To stay in the spirit of things, I think it needs to be a British car with an American engine.

How about for you...a Panther Six instead?

Wow. Some beautiful houses have been posted here!

Originally Posted by nioh

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A modern masterpiece.

As the crow flies, this striking contemporary design sits almost directly in front of our home less than half a mile distant. It is located on and within a very small triangle of land bounded by both Prospect Avenue and Exchange Place in La Jolla. From inside the walls, you would never know that you are less than one hundred feet away from a bustling commercial area.

A Shell gasoline station occupied the land in the 1960s and 70s. The station building was torn down around 1975 or so and the land sat vacant for about fifteen years. When the lot was excavated, some very large, nasty-looking, and leaky storage tanks were hoisted out of the ground.

I cannot recall, but I believe the home's architect is also its occupant. Most of his portfolio is focused on revitalizing the downtown area of San Diego ten or so miles to the south of this site.

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One thing about "castles" (large Victorian houses featuring details like towers) is they are solid. I visited Biltmore last year and marveled at how pristine the exterior looked. The Indiana limestone has never been cleaned, but looks fantastic. I have to wonder about the long term structural integrity of some of the experimental mondernist structures pictured in this thread. Fallingwater, for example, has been sagging ever since it was built, and apparently has serious mold problems.

Biltmore is not a "castle." It's a Beaux Arts example of the "chateauesque" style. Sheesh.

Originally Posted by Manton

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Biltmore is not a "castle." It's a Beaux Arts example of the "chateauesque" style. Sheesh.

You mean it's French?

A good friend of ours just bought the Southern Living home in Big Canoe. It's magnificent. A combination of a stellar lot and craftsman workmanship.

I need to find some better pics but the entrance is the photo on the lower right.

http://bigcanoe.com/BluffsatRidgeview.aspx

Originally Posted by tlmusic

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You mean it's French?

It was designed in the French style (of three centuries prior to its construction) by an American architect who learned his craft in Paris.

Better pictures of Southern Living home at Big Canoe:

http://www.julajane.com/assets/PN_BigCanoe.pdf

I have a particular appeal for townhouses in London, especially those in Mayfair and the surrounding areas of Hyde Park-


Really liked this as well, apparently this is in the basement of a London townhouse-


Not related to London, but a while ago I saw photos of an pink-painted Italian villa that is apparently famous for its gardens. Anyone know the one I am talking about?

JB

Originally Posted by Manton

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It was designed in the French style (of three centuries prior to its construction) by an American architect who learned his craft in Paris.

I'm actually a big R. M. Hunt fan.