Brave New Houses: Adventures in Southern California Living [Hardcover]

Michael Webb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 2003

Los Angeles and Southern California have always been a crucible for the experimental in residential design. Here then are the successors to Neutra and Schindler, Lautner and Gehry-architects who break out of the box to create houses that respond to the benign climate and varied topography of Southern California and express the needs and dreams of their clients. From serene white forms to bold expressions of structure, from houses that engage the landscape or ocean to those that turn confined lots to advantage, these are models of creative design. Behind every creative design is a successful architect-client relationship, and Webb gives a rare glimpse of the collaborative process of "designing a house." With some of the best houses built in the past decade, Brave New Houses should appeal to everyone who has thought of designing or owning a house that is one-of-a-kind.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Webb is a writer and editor who has authored twenty-one books on architecture and design, including Universe's Modernism Reborn and monographs on George Nelson and Ingo Maurer. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (November 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084782604X
• ISBN-13: 978-0847826049
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,004,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Webb is the author of 26 books on modern architecture and design. He was born in 1937 and grew up in London, where he worked at The Times and Country Life magazine, before moving to the U.S. in 1969 to become Programming Director of the American Film Institute. He resumed his writing career in 1981 and now lives in Los Angeles when he is not traveling the world to gather material for books and articles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breaking out of the Box, January 1, 2004

By 

dennis puzey "dennispuzey" (San Francisco, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brave New Houses: Adventures in Southern California Living (Hardcover)

It takes courage to leap into the unknown, but the thirty homeowners featured in this handsome new compilation picked architects who could translate their desires into something they could never have imagined by themselves. Rather than choose an off-the-shelf design, they went for something that was one-of-a-kind. That bold decision brought them lasting satisfaction.

Even if you do more than fantasize about your ideal home, you can learn something from this varied menu of houses. Each has a distinct character, but all open up to nature and conserve energy by pulling in natural light and breezes and blocking direct sun. As Michael Webb observes in his introduction, we spend too much of our lives in boxes--driving, working, and shopping--and we deserve something better to come home to. A new house, or an inventive remodel by a creative architect can revolutionize the way we live.

The thirty completed houses are located from Santa Barbara to San Diego, but most of them are in or around Los Angeles. That gives this book a coherence that is lacking from most anthologies of residential architecture, for each house relates to a similar climate and topography. As a bonus, there are five unrealized projects that show just how far you can break out of the box.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brave New Houses doesn't disappoint, March 19, 2004

By 

Paul J. Boetig (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brave New Houses: Adventures in Southern California Living (Paperback)

Great book with very recent houses. I had seen many of them published in the Sunday LA Times magazine, as well as other places BUT this book provides additional pictures, along with floorplans, and text. The houses represent very current styles and range from small houses to large estates.

Very much worth purchasing.

PS. the book is paper back and approximately 9" x 9" in size

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good resource, June 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Brave New Houses: Adventures in Southern California Living (Paperback)

Normally when I buy design books I buy for pictures that I use as ideas or reference at work. This book has nice quality photos of the homes at various angles as well as supporting text and floorplans. Being a picture person, I found myself reading and didn't want to put the book down. Lastly, this book is labeled as paperback but I received a hardcover, which I prefer anyways.