Things That Inspire: Philip Shutze

Thursday, October 7, 2010

My house list and a great home tour

Living in a city with so many beautiful homes, I get a lot of gratification from driving around town (or walking my dog), and viewing the houses from the street. There are some houses that capture my imagination more than others, and I have an informal ‘house list’ of houses that I would love to see inside. Sometimes I get to ‘see’ the inside of a home on my list when it is listed for sale; I have even been known to go to a real estate agent caravan in order to get a peek into a home on my list. Other times, I am lucky enough to be invited to an event at one of these homes. But, my favorite way to see a home is through a tour of homes. Atlantans are often quite generous in sharing their homes with fellow architecture and design fans, and various charitable organizations have capitalized upon this by organizing tours of homes that benefit a designated charity.

I recently learned that there will be a new tour this weekend in Atlanta (10/10/10), presented by Beacham & Company, REALTORS, and benefitting the Special Olympics of Georgia. On this tour are five wonderful homes, all on the market, and several of them are on my ‘list’. It is going to be a great tour!

1071 Foxcroft (click here to see listing for more interior pictures). Listing price: $2,950,000

This beautiful house is located inside one of my favorite Atlanta neighborhoods, Kingswood, and is one of my favorite houses in the area. It sits atop a beautiful property, sited perfectly on its lot; I have walked my dog by this house many, many times, and always stop to admire it. When the house went on the market recently, I learned that it had been renovated by one of Atlanta’s premiere architects, Keith Summerour.

A glimpse of the interior, which is decorated in pale and soothing tones.

The house is ‘L’ shaped, with a pool that is cleverly positioned to frame a central courtyard. I can’t wait to see this house! (Photo credits for this house: Blayne Beacham)

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981 Davis Drive (click here to see the listing), listed for $12,000,000 (photo credit: Rod Collins)

This splendid home, designed by Historical Concepts and described as Beaux Arts style, was the 2008 winner of the prestigious Shutze Award awarded by the Southeast Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America. The house won for the 10,000 square foot and above category (it has about 16,000 square feet!).

I have been invited to two events at this home, but was not able to attend either. I am looking forward to finally seeing this home in person! Photo credit for images above: Blayne Beacham.

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3418 Pinestream Road (click here to see listing). Listing price: $3,500,000

The house I am most looking forward to seeing is ‘The Pink Palace’, built in 1923 and designed by Philip Shutze (recognized as ‘his first house’). Modeled after Villa Cussano in Verona, Italy, this house used to sit on a huge amount of land, and faced West Paces Ferry. Over the years, the owners have sold off much of the land, and the house address is now 3418 Pinestream Road.

This magnificent Italian style estate is now on the market, and I have heard that most (if not all) of the original Shutze designed architectural features on the interior remain in pristine state, exactly as Shutze designed them. The price of the tour ticket ($25) is worth the price alone to get to see this beautiful part of Atlanta architectural history. To see more pictures of the interior of this house, please visit the real estate listing.

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For more information on the Tour of Homes benefitting the Special Olympics of Georgia, presented by Beacham & Company, click here or follow this link: http://tinyurl.com/beachamspecialolympicstour.

Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010, 1:00 - 5:00 p..m.
$25 entry fee * per person to tour all 5 homes. *Entry fee is tax deductible. Tickets can be bought online or at any of the houses on the day of the tour.

You may begin tour at any of the following locations:
1071 Foxcroft Road, NW
Atlanta, GA 30327

2505 Habersham Road
Atlanta, GA 30305

3418 Pinestream Road, NW
Atlanta, GA 30327

3240 Ivanhoe Drive
Atlanta, GA 30327

981 Davis Drive
Atlanta, GA 30327

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Friday, January 9, 2009

French Inspired Houses (aka, My Dream Home 2009)

In January of last year, I did a post on my (then) favorite style of architecture, Georgian with Adams influence. So many of the house pictures in my inspiration files are Georgian, and I still love and appreciate this style. However, as much as I love Georgian style homes, over the past year I have found myself gravitating to homes with a French influence. It seems like more of a natural fit given the elements I like on the inside of a house: tall, large windows and doors, a light filled interior, high ceilings, and a neutral palette.

This is the house that was a turning point for me. I first saw it early last year on a Dallas realtor site, and just found it again on a new blog, Period Homes. I love everything about this beautiful house - the soft colors, the gray slate roof, the symmetry, the path to the front door, the wonderful proportions, the rounded dormer windows in the roof. It was built in 1929, yet its classic form is still beautiful in 2009. Also, it is not a dramatic departure from the Georgian homes I posted last year. I don't really see too many homes like this in my area of Atlanta; many of the two story French style homes in Buckhead seem to be much larger and much grander than this.

Although it sounds like my interest in French inspired homes suddenly formed sometime over the past year, in truth I have had an interest in French style architecture for years. I remember seeing this picture (above) in the Betty Lou Phillips book 'Provencal Interiors', and thinking it was beautiful. This is the back of a home designed by architect A. Hays Town of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A. Hays Town was called the "premier architect of the South" in his day.

I did a post of French Normandy architecture early in 2008 (picture above is from this post, Pak Heydt Architects), so already the interest in French architecture was getting reignited. As I learned while writing both the post on Normandy architecture and this post, French inspired architecture is an incredibly broad category. It is nearly impossible to categorize French style because it is so diverse.

So, what kind of French homes are inspiring me now? The ones I am noticing in Atlanta are 1 1/2 story symmetrical renovations; this style seems to be in vogue in the most established part of Atlanta. Many older red brick ranch and Georgian style homes are being painted white or cream (mostly one story houses, but some two story houses), large shutters and new front doors are being added, roofs are being reshaped, and large gas lanterns are being hung. The home pictured above was a 1960s ranch that was taken down to the studs and redone to a high standard; I was able to see the inside of this home when it was on the market last year, and it was eye opening how nice and fresh a well done renovation could look and feel.

Here is another high quality renovation, this time of a 1950s ranch home. I was able to go in this home many years ago on a tour of homes, and thought of it when I was writing this post. I love the shutters on the front and the rounded dormers on the roof, and the small round windows on the wings of the house.

I recently found another superbly done renovation in the French style (pictured above; one picture is the professional version (used with permission), the other is my iphone picture). It is a renovation of a 1950 ranch house, and the architect is Stan Dixon. This project won the prestigious Shutze Award (named for Philip Trammell Shutze, one of Atlanta's finest 20th century architects) in 2008 for a residence under 4,000 square feet. According to the notes for this house, it was a prime candidate for French provincial style given the existing home already had a steep pitched hip roof and French doors across the front. Among the many changes that were implemented were custom doors and windows designed and proportioned to reflect the French style, a new limestone entry portico, new dormer windows, and a dining pavilion in the front of the home. The inside of the house was taken down to the studs and renovated as well.

Here is a close up of the home. Architect Stan Dixon pays close attention to scale and proportion when designing his homes, and even the smallest of details are superb and historically accurate. I love the lanterns flanking the door, and the shape of the French door on the dining pavilion.

Another renovated house in Atlanta, done in French style. Many of the renovated French style homes I see have a central structure, then two symmetrical wings that jut out from the house. This house was always French inspired style (built in the 1960s) , and the architect who drew up the plans for the renovation redid the windows and emphasized the French elements already there. The landscaping was also redone to emphasize the French style.

This home is in an Atlanta neighborhood built in the 1960s, and most of the lots in this neighborhood are wide and at least 1 acre. Most of the original homes were a designed in a gracious ranch style, and many recent renovations in this neighborhood have a French flair to them.

This home was designed by James Means, many of whose greatest homes were designed in Atlanta in the 1950s and 1960s. The home is in the same neighborhood as the one in the previous picture. Means got his start working with another great Atlanta architect, Neel Reid, and worked at the same firm as Philip Shutze. This completely renovated home was on the market last year, and sold for $3.5 million. I wish I had saved more pictures from the listing! I remember that the cabinets in the kitchen were a beautiful blue-gray.

I pass by this home sometimes when walking my dog. This French style house is not very big, but it is charming.

This, on the other hand, is a new French style home in Atlanta that is enormous! It recently sold in the $5 million range. The landscape architects who worked on this property are among the best in Atlanta.

Another home in Atlanta that underwent a complete renovation, with the result being a charming French style home. I love the back of this house: 5 sets of French doors, and two small wings that make a 'U' shape to the house. I also love the rounded dormers on the roof in the front and back. I couldn't imagine having a back yard like this, though, with young children! Image courtesy DeLany Rossetti Construction.

This is the kind of lush Buckhead front yard that Tom Wolfe wrote about in his book A Man in Full. The home, built in 1955, was a standard ranch with a low roof. The current owners did a complete renovation; the height of the roof was increased and dormer windows were added, the front was redone, the windows lengthened and large shutters were installed. The result is a charming French style home.

This is new home designed by architect Stan Dixon. It is described as an 'elegantly proportioned French Country home', and is nestled in the midst of homes built in the 1920s through 1940s. It looks right at home in the neighborhood, a testament to the classic design and style of the home.

If I had to pick one, this is my favorite. It is more formal than the other homes I have shown, but I love the look of it. The elements I like are all in place: neutral color scheme, steep roof with arched dormer windows. I realize that many of the pictures in this post have those little wings on the side, which surprises me. This house has them too. I have watched this house being renovated for over two years (Pak-Heydt were the architects); the original house was also French in style, but quite a few changes were made to the roofline and the look of the house. It sits on a 3.2 acre piece of property, and is actually quite large; the house is U shaped with large wings off the back, plus a large garage to the left (visible if you look closely).

As you can see, French influenced style is quite prevalent in Buckhead, perhaps because so many older ranch homes "in-town" are renovated and lend themselves to this style. The cost of land is so high in Buckhead, and the property taxes are so high, that financially it often makes much more sense to renovate rather than tear down. I can't help but wonder if I gravitate to this because it is what I see so much around town. Or, maybe it is just what I notice; Buckhead has a tremendous diversity in home styles.

Do you ever see this style where you live? If you like this style too, which house is your favorite?

I started out 2008 with a love of Georgian homes, and am starting out 2009 with a preference for 1 1/2 story French eclectic symmetrical homes. Upon reflection, I am gravitating to houses that are not too big, but are very well done . It makes me wonder what 2009 will hold?

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