Ranch Houses
Wed, 25 Mar 2009I absolutely adore books. When I received an email a little while ago about a book called Ranch Houses, I was instantly intrigued. I love the style of ranch homes and there are so few of them up here in Ottawa. The architecture of these houses is a popular one, and it's obvious why, with such huge expanses of windows to join indoor with outdoor spaces. I recently got my hands on a copy of this book, by David Weingarten and Lucia Howard, published by Rizzoli NY, and it my new favourite coffee table book. I only buy books that look great, and this one has the most gorgeous photo on the jacket (and might I add, the cover is a fabulous shade of orange, because that's important too).
I've got to give props to the photographer, Joe Fletcher. The photos are dreamy, and showcase these ranch homes so beautifully. The book features a home that was initially built in 1797, others in the 1800's and 1900's and up to 2005. A brief history is provided with each home, as well as photos of the interior, exterior and landscape. I cannot wait until the weekend when I can devour each photo and every word.
Enough teasing - how about a little taste?
Reader Comments (9)
Kim, that's my dream. To have a little ranch house. Even a little prefab ranch house. Preferably near the beach.
some of these shots kind of remind me of the location of that Brad and Angelina shoot for W Magazine a couple of years back...very L.A., I'm loving them all.
I got a chance to see the book about a month ago when I met with the author, David W. Isn't it a great collection of ranch houses? Stunning pictures and I just love the engaging, lively writing style of David. :-)
Really need that cover house. Really.
I love the Ranch House. Oh, the light is wonderful! I am someone who needs light.
WOW!!! Love it!
What a nice looking book. I'll have to look for it when I go to Chapters next time.
The subject of this book reminds me of Alan Hess' two books: Ranch House (or is it Ranch Houses) and Forgotten Modern.
I found it reassuring that you said that are not many ranch houses in Ottawa. I've been noticing there's not many in the Brighton-Belleville-Kingston-Brockville area and I wonder why. Was it not in style for this part of the continent? Do you know?
I'll admit that there is one small pocket in Kingston in the NE corner of the Bath Rd and Portsmouth Ave area and another small pocket in Brockville on Hartley Avenue southwest of the downtown core. But that's it!
As an Ottawa-Kingston girl who moved west, I can tell you there are many more ranch houses out here. I'm guessing it has a lot to do with local building materials, established styles, and climate. Not many brick buildings out here (which I do miss some days).
Kim, if you like these houses, you might just fall in love with Eichler houses. We saw them when we lived in CA and absolutely fell for them. Wonderful spaces.
http://totheweb.com/eichler/
Fifth photo down - view from pool to plains and hills - I could look out there for a long time, stunning