Dimensions
237 x 293 x 27mm
In the early 20th-century, architects designing houses for the balmy climate of Southern California were influenced by the style of the villas and palaces that dominated the architecture in Italy, France, Spain, Greece, and Morocco, and a few other North African locales.
The resulting style -- noted for its pleasing combination of simplicity and dignity, for its often asymmetrical undecorated facades -- reflected romantic, European forms, and yet distinguished itself by adding American ingenuity. Prime examples of this include Villa Narcissa, widely celebrated for its unimposing grandeur, and Casa Leon, with its stunning hillside location and ocean views.
Included here are residences by noted architects such as Julia Morgan, Bertram Goodhue, Addison Mizner, George Washington Smith, Wallace Neff, and others. While some of the houses lavishly decorated villas with lush landscaping, others are more spare, creations; what all these interpretations of the California Mediterranean style have in common is an indoor-outdoor approach to living.
