This incredible home is near Chicago, built in
1955. It's owned by a couple with a great
collection of 1950s interior decorative
objects and furniture. The house is a "passive
solar" design by famed architects George Fred Keck
and William Keck (Keck +
Keck), who are widely known for their "House of
Tomorrow" and "Crystal House" designs shown at the
1933-34 Century of
Progress fair in Chicago. After looking for a year
to find the house of their dreams, they first
spied this house from the back, seeing the
floor-to-ceiling windows as they were cruising
around a beautiful neighborhood they dreamed of
moving to. Of course it wasn't for sale yet, but
eventually, it came on the market. After being the
first people to see it during the realtor's open
house day, they knew "this was it" and put it an
offer. That was 14 years ago, and it started an
odyssey of detective work, research, remodeling
(to original specs, of course) and collecting.
After living in the house for a few months, the
owners realized that all their old furniture had
to go. This house demanded something special, and
original to the house. The red Eames chair
inherited from a relative was the first piece that
looked right. Then, the search was on for
mid-century modern furniture and objects to
complete the interior.
Many books were consulted to get the look. Cara
Greenberg's Mid-Century Modern was an inspiring
start, but a vintage book called Design for Modern
Living, published in 1962, provided the right
feel. The book was found at the O'Hare antique
show, one of the many shows and auctions that this
couple frequents. Vintage Knoll furniture featured
in the book became the quest, and pieces were
eventually found to create the living room look.
An Arteluce tri-cone lamp was a lucky find at the
Winnetka Modernism Show, and gradually, over the
years of attending shows and auctions, mid-century
Italian glass became a major focus. The couple is
"addicted," and has built a major collection and
become experts in the field. Again, using books
for research, and attending shows and auctions has
been the best way to find pieces and hook up with
other mid-century enthusiasts.
The name "passive solar" refers to the ingenious energy efficient design. It is truly a great machine for living. The house has a flat roof and huge south-facing windows with carefully designed overhangs to let in lots of warm sunshine in the winter months, yet very little in the summer months. It has radiant heat inside the floors in part of the house, forced air in the rest. It retains the original trademark Keck window vents - all the windows are fixed glass panels, and wooden doors alongside the windows open to reveal a screened wooden vent. The vents can be left open all summer for great circulation; it is totally secure, and does not let the rain in.
"Minimalism, and Lots of It" is this couple's
mantra. The living room with sofa and chairs by
Florence Knoll, a chrome Diamond chair by Harry
Bertoia, an LTR table by Charles Eames and a
mobile by Hotchkiss, a red Eames DCM chair, a
Saarinen womb chair, the Arteluce lamp, and a
Nelson slat bench/table, and a 1921 Steinway,
among other great items.
"The kitchen is where we break out and have fun,"
say the couple about their colorful display of
vintage dinnerware including Fiesta, Starburst,
Metlox California freeform, and fun items like
1950s barbecue trays (those bright red metal ones
with the hysterical images of bbq chefs on them),
shown here with one of their George Nelson clocks
made by Howard Miller Clock Company. "We use all
the dishes and love to cook on weekends. Nothing
is too precious to use although we hand-wash
rather than trust it in the dishwasher."
The media room was a challenge to somehow make a
projection TV with a wall-size screen and a
mis-matched but well chosen set of audio
components. After much research and attempts at
designing their own system, Modernica saved the
day by agreeing (being coerced may be a better
term) to build them a custom ESU (Eames Storage
Unit) to their specs. Stock Modernica pieces
completed the room, and provide great storage for
record albums, CDs and videos, "keeping the mess
behind closed doors."
The entertainment room includes storage cases designed by Charles Eames and a steering wheel clock and a ball clock by George Nelson.
The master bedroom features a fireplace flanked by
two aluminum group chairs by Charles Eames, an
Alvar Aalto coffee table, and
vintage modern art glass and pottery by top
designer names. The tall yellow piece at left is a
Lino Tagliapietra and the pottery includes a
collection of Eugene Deutch pieces.
The master bathroom is done in Mondrian-style
tile... spectacular and luxurious are but two of
the words which come to mind! The couple stayed up
many late nights with their computer designing the
tile pattern after their favorite painter.
The sun room features a Heywood-Wakefield sofa and
matching chair, 2 vintage rattan chairs, a
triangular Higgins Rondelay glass
on the wall, and green Italian Raymor pottery.
Plants are housed in vintage pottery collected at
antique malls and garage sales.
"Living in this home is a wonderful experience,
from the warm, sunny winter days where the passive
solar design truly works, to the cool summer
afternoons where the breezes drift through and the
air conditioning is rarely used. It has been one
of the most rewarding experiences to restore and
enjoy "modern living" at its best."
The home is similar in style to one of the
now-famous Eichler homes of the same period, but
this home is much more rare and
obscure. Keck + Keck, who haven't really been
publicized much, were highly influential
architects of 20th century modern design with many
design awards to their credit. There are two books
available on their houses, but in general, people
need to know and learn more about them. Below you
will find more sites with great insights into this
incredible designer home and the architects behind it.
Related links:
