The historic small houses of Phoenix Arizona

While I often write about large houses, mansions even, long time readers know that I have always had a preference for well designed small houses (it has been over 7 years now so I think that constitutes a long time!). The golden era of this was the 1920s in my opinion when many high-quality, small houses were built in varied styles.

Just north of downtown Phoenix are a host of 'historic' neighborhoods which are small lots with even smaller houses from this era in a plethora of styles.

One of the things I enjoyed most was seeing these lovely small houses as they were meant to be - STILL SMALL! The problem here in Washington, DC is that small houses quickly get 2nd stories, enormous additions, and become mcmansions in their own right spoiling their jewel-box qualities. Size vs quality?

The other aspect of checking out these neighborhoods was enjoying the lovely gardens people have created here in this arid climate. While some are native desert landscapes (which I enjoyed the most I must admit as they felt 'exotic' to my eastern eyes) others are as lush and green as a house in Maine. Just check out this bungalow above which looks straight out of a California suburb.

One of the oddest houses I came upon wasn't actually very small at 6,000 SF and looked like it was dropped out of the English countryside.

Built in 1930 by Carter Gibbes with builder Neil Gates the house appears to be hundreds of years old. Perhaps they used some reclaimed materials from England like the Virginia House or Agecroft Hall  in Richmond.

The shrubbery and grass was also a bit of jolly old England in the desert of Arizona. While hands down my favorite house it does seem a tad inappropriate for the climate and location?

More fitted to the environment was this recently remodeled bungalow.  It's easy to forget how much work it is to have such green grass in Phoenix!

This charming little bungalow also caught my eye although I wish they hadn't planted the tree directly in the middle of the house!

While the photograph is hard to see notice the wonky Cotswold cottage style roofline on this house -can't you see it being thatched? I'm sure it wouldn't last long though in the Phoenix summer heat.

This house also was charming and cozy looking; Loved the front porch.

Nearby was an art deco church with this very Hollywood Regency looking entry canopy.

England to France to California and now Italy -have you ever seen an Italian style ranch complete with Della Robbia plaque? This seems very appropriate to the climate and I love the clay tile roof.

This house was renovated to be modern but retains the compact size. I loved the entry courtyard.

The cactus garden above is really fun and I loved these wispy green trees seen to the left and in all of my favorite gardens -does anyone know what they are?

Of course most houses were either Spanish mission style or a modified Pueblo design like these two.

This 2 story house looks to be plucked out of Beverly Hills, no?

As does this house below which could have been the house of an aging Norma Desmond.

And straight out of Carmel, California were a number of cute storybook cottages!

The one above could use a little curbside enhancement but the form is basically there.

In contrast, this house is clean and tidy and lets the irregular roofline speak.

This large Tudor style house could have been in Connecticut except for the palm trees and yellowed grass.

Last but not least, Marcel DuChamp eat your heart out!  A condo development featured this statue of a woman holding a urinal -doesn't this just scream 'welcome home'? Hope you enjoyed seeing these small houses and maybe even got some inspiration; Bigger isn't always (and infrequently is) better!

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Unknown Arizona, designers, history, house styles, houses, Phoenix, small living, travel

Le Pavillon de Madame, Verailles

As promised here I bring you another small mansion from the book "The smaller houses and gardens of Versailles", this one simply entitled "Le Pavillon de Madame".  While the address is stated, 63 Avenue de Paris, I can't find any information about the house and according to a googlemap search it has either been torn down since 1926 or the address has changed. If anyone has any information I would appreciate learning more!

The house is a delightful arrangement in the French tradition in that there is no front facade and each of the 4 facades is equally attractive.

The exterior is a light grey painted stucco to mimic limestone with a rusticated base and quoins (corner treatment) on the upper floor. The mansard roof is slate while the beautiful dormers are of lead.

As you can see in the site plan above the house is situated in an enormous garden which hides the surrounding houses. It provides a very formal French garden which is in fact a potager or kitchen garden -where flowers mingle with fruits and vegetables. At the end of a path is the orangery where more exotic fruits and plants could grow.

The tall trees surrounding the garden not only hide the neighbors but other agricultural necessities; a chicken run, a rabbitry, and numerous outbuildings.

The plan is unusual in that it is laid out as a town house. The dining room on the main floor opens to the garden and terrace with kitchens and service spaces surrounding it. Only up the staircase are the other rooms you'd expect to find on the ground level. Even in a small house such as this there is a stair for the master and another for the servants.

The house contains only one bedroom going back to what I talked about in the last post HERE that these houses were private retreats from the palace of Versailles and not meant for entertaining or even families.

The rooms are all small and cozy but feature fine detailing such as this painted boiserie in the entry hall which the article states was painted white.

The stair has interesting faux-marble painted boiserie and patterns that I think show the 18th century interest in the discovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Notice the beautiful chevron patterned floors.

Behind the front hall the dining room continues the chevron floors with pale green painted boiserie covering the walls. Notice the painted scenic overdoors.

This is probably the most charming room in the house, don't you think, with French doors opening out to the terrace?

The eclectic array of furniture is very of the 1920s and today for that matter; a very comfortable arrangement.

This seating group by the fireplace is probably where the owner spent a lot of time before and after meals.

Upstairs the boiserie is left natural and unpainted with the carved details picked out in gold leaf.  The chandelier is of course more in the French taste while the assortment of furniture almost feels English to my eye.

No shortage of light or garden views from up here either. I love how the chandelier reflects the light even without the electricity turned on.

It pains me to think this may have been torn down! What do you think -could you live in a mini mansion such as this? Live stylishly in a smaller space is what this house screams to me!

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Unknown books, floorplans, Gardens, history, houses, Interiors, photography, small living, versailles

Angel in the Dunes

While in Seaside, as I mentioned, I stayed in a guest cottage on one of the pedestrian path 'alleys' that was a lesson in small living, the Angel in the Dunes.

Measuring in at a total of under 450 sf spread over two floors, the small house read larger than my apartment in the city which is even slightly larger.I loved the cheerful yellow siding which matched the main house (seen to the left). As you can see, the dense plantings made the exterior hard to photograph!The houses in Seaside are all raised off the ground to allow for venilation to help with natural cooling in the hot summers (don't worry, there was an AC too!).The 2nd floor had a balcony with operable shutters which was a lovely place to have my morning tea.Even though I didn't use it, the grill on the front deck was a nice addition.The bay window in the living room contained a built-in banquette that was comfy and a great use of space. The barley twist dining table with hanging leaves was a good selection for the small room.Opposite the dining nook was the couch and lounge rocker-chair with stools/coffee table with matching barley twist legs. If this was my little beach cottage I would probably add narrow bookcases on this entire wall for storage behind the couch (beach reading material!).Opposite the entry wall was the tv (rather inartfully done as you can see) as well as entry to the kitchen and the stairs to the bedroom above. The kitchen was very smartly and efficiently laid out. The undercounter microwave and small fridge are all you need for such a small house with room for dishes on the open shelves above. You could replicate such a smart kitchen at home with a LG refrigerator.Opposite was tons of storage and a full pantry (doors cut off to the right) along with a side by side washer dryer.Under the stairs was the small mechanical/storage room with a bump out for the back of the washer dryer so they fit neatly under the cabinets. This also provided a shelf for additional storage. Up the stairs was a surprisingly spacious bathroom and large bedroom with vaulted ceiling (which I forgot to photograph!). I highly recommend the Angel in the Dunes for 1 or 2 guests. The main house was much larger and sleeps up to 10 with the option of combining the guest cottage for additional space.

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Unknown hotels, houses, Interiors, Seaside, small living, travel