What Becomes a Classic Most?

The first thing you notice when you drive up to this icon of steel and glass is the view – all of Los Angeles twinkles below you. The L-shape wraps around the pool, and the surrounding panorama is the support for this free-floating span of glass. Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House #22, otherwise known as the Stahl House, arose in 1960 at the apex of what became known as Mid-Century Modernism.

Figure 1 CSH #22 Pierre Koenig 1959-60

Figure 2 CSH #22 Pierre Koenig 1959-60

An American reflection of the International and Bauhaus movements, this more organic and casual form manifested itself in residences that transported modernism into post-war suburbia. Inexpensive steel, open floor plans, and lots of glass brought the outdoors in. This was a fresh, clean look that made room for sculpted furnishings, intense colors, and “atomic” styling’s that looked to a bright and optimistic future; one that hosted the bold, forward-thinking “can-do” attitude of the west.

Figure 3 CSH #8 Charles and Ray Eames 1945-49

Nowhere was this more exemplified than in Arts and Architecture magazine’s 1945 challenge to architects: design an inexpensive prototype of a house for America’s burgeoning middle class. By the time the program ended in 1966, although many of the designs had never been built and many of the houses didn’t move beyond a prototype, architecture and interior design was forever changed.

Figure 4 CSH #18 Craig Ellwood 1956-58

Figure 5 CSH #21 Pierre Koenig 1958

Modernism became a classic. Just as 20^th c. art did, this architectural movement influenced all other aspects of international culture, from commercial projects and industrial products, to film and fashion. And, like other furnishing styles that have become classics – rustic, Neo-Classical, Eclectic, Scandinavian, and so many others – Mid-Century Modernism is timeless. Sometimes it takes a back seat to novelty looks of the moment – remember the big, poufy florals of the 80’s? But it was always there for those who wanted a more pared-down look, and it’s the chameleon that fits into every eclectic interior. It can be a fabulous Danish lamp sitting atop a rustic vintage farm table, or the sleek single-cushion sofa that supports the pillows of antique Guatemalan fabric.

Figure 6 A Beautifully Curated Assemblage

Perhaps John Etenza didn’t know the effect that his Case Study House program would have on the future of design, but its imprint is everywhere, and we love it.  And, thankfully, it will influence our design sensibilities forever.