Sigh. I live in Raleigh, NC - home of NC State's School of Design. A school that has graduated many fine architects and students of the modernist design school. And yet - each and every new development becomes a sea of "Country French" (or is it French Country?), English Manor or pseudo Arts and Crafts style bungalows. Developers come in - decimate the existing landscape AND contours of the plot of land - and carve the place into streets and roads with names like "Piccadilly Place" and "Bordeaux Ct."
Each month, the local news paper News and Observer, runs a feature on the home of the month. Each month is an example of "good design", mostly by local architects and builders. Each one has been mostly modern. Not a single "5 over 4 with a door", or French Manor.
So - why aren't these fabulous houses being built? Everyone recognizes their "coolness"? Have builders who "do modern" make the houses so unaffordable that folks won't venture into this? Why does "simple" and Aesthetically Pleasing necessarily equate to outrageously expensive?
Hopefully - the tide is turning. Great websites like Triangle Modernist Houses are being featured. Downsizing is becoming in vogue, and clean, simple, cost effective (and green) houses are more and more attractive.
We have purchased 15 acres to build our next house. Not sure when this will start - but we wanted to be free from existing neighborhood covenants. We want an ultra-efficient steel, glass and stone structure that lives easy for us and the dogs and can take us into old age. We gave it a good shot with the existing house, but were novices and still fairly restricted by being in a neighborhood.
I'll be posting more ideas, pictures and thoughts (and perhaps randoms rants and muses) as the months progress and hopefully create a community of other closet Modernists!
Enjoy!
