A Few of Our Favorite Things

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(Please note: We are not being paid, sponsored, or receiving any form of compensation in exchange for including the following items in this post.)

Reclaimed wood floor in a modern coastal home.

From time to time we like to share a few of our favorite products, materials, innovations, etc. that are tailor-made for contemporary modern and mid-century modern houses.

In this post, we’re celebrating a couple of incredibly cool and environmentally sustainable building materials. We’re also honoring an iconic mid-century modern dining table created specifically to eliminate the “slum of legs.” (Keep reading to find out what that means…)

Reclaimed wood wall/headboard

1. Reclaimed Wood: as green as it is gorgeous

Reclaimed wood is just what it sounds like: old lumber, originally used for one purpose, that’s been reclaimed for another purpose. Some advocates call it “antique wood.”

Reclaimed wood is salvaged from old, abandoned barns and sheds, shuttered factories and warehouses, razed houses, etc., built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Depending on the region in which it’s located, reclaimed lumber can be found in almost every type of wood: Cherry, Cypress, Longleaf Pine, Mango, White Oak, Walnut and Black Walnut, Mahogany, Pecan, Teak, and other exotic woods.

For architects and home builders, using reclaimed lumber helps a new structure achieve LEED green building certification because (1) it’s considered recycled content, (2) it meets the “materials and resources” criteria for LEED certification, and (3) some reclaimed lumber products are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, which satisfies LEED’s “certified wood” category.

Reclaimed wood is primarily used in residential settings also accent walls (exterior and interior), cabinetry, furniture, and, best of all (in our opinion), flooring -- beautiful, environmentally friendly flooring that’s rife with character.

Now, don’t make the tragic mistake of thinking “reclaimed” automatically means rustic and country. “Modern designers and architects increasingly turn to reclaimed wood and other components to lend a unique persona to modern homes – both for the exterior as well as for interior spaces,” Vera Dordick in her article “Reclaiming Wood for Today’s Modern Homes” for Homedit.com.

Overhead, a reclaimed wood ceiling

Reclaimed wood resources and specialists are available all over Florida. So before you make a wood flooring decision, do yourself and the trees a favor and consider beautiful, eco-friendly reclaimed wood.

Reclaimed floor and island base in soft gray finish

2. Raw Concrete: sustainable and sexy

Speaking of sustainable building materials, concrete is as good as it gets.

In its “raw” form, it’s so much more.

Raw concrete walls in an elegant bath

“Raw” concrete is concrete that’s left unfinished after it’s cast so that the marks imprinted on it by the form molds remain visible.

As a sustainable material, concrete is abundant, renewable, low maintenance, and durable. (It will pretty much last forever.) By its nature, it promotes passive energy conservation: In interior applications, it absorbs heat from the low winter sun then radiates that heat into the room when the sun goes down. In the summer, it holds cooler temperatures at night and remains cool the next day. This barrier between outside extremes and interior comfort reduces operational HVAC energy usage by an estimated 29 percent, maybe even more.

Of course, concrete wasn’t always an option in the home building industry. Commercial and industrial, yes, but not residential.

In the early years of his illustrious career, Le Corbusier, the Swiss-French architect who helped found the Modern Architecture movement, worked as a draftsman for Auguste Perret, the first architect to use reinforced concrete in residential construction. In 1914, Le Corbusier enlisted the help of engineer Max Dubois to determine a variety of uses for what he called béton brut, which means “raw concrete” in French. And with Corbu’s stamp of approval, other modernist architects began to consider it.

Actually, béton brut denotes an architectural expression of concrete rather than the robust material itself.  

Raw concrete wall in a bedroom

Other than in garages and basements, concrete isn’t visible in most houses. The foundations may be made of concrete block, but they’re covered with brick or stucco veneers. (The veneer-over-concrete-block approach to foundations was Frank Lloyd Wright’s idea. He also invented the concrete slab on which many mid-century houses were built. Both concepts were intended to reduce the cost of architect-designed houses.)

For a breezeway, raw concrete walls and ceiling

For several years now, however, many modernist architects and their residential clients have embraced the intrinsic beauty and authenticity of exposed, unfinished concrete in various applications, including walls within ultra-elegant modern spaces. The rugged texture of raw concrete is dramatically juxtaposed with lots of sparkling glass. The result is exciting and, yes, downright sexy.

The Saarinen Tulip Table vs. the “Slum of Legs”

Marble-topped oval Saarinen table from Knoll

Finnish architect Eero Saarinen (1910-1961), who designed the St. Louis Gateway Arch among many other well-known structures, was pummeled with praise for the modernist furniture he designed for Knoll. Among them: the popular Tulip Table. It was part of his Pedestal Collection of the late 1950s.

A white engineered-granite top

According to Knoll, Saarinen vowed to eliminate the “slum of legs – the ugly, confusing, unrestful world” -- underneath chairs and tables with four legs.” His pedestal dining tables were the answer since the tops are supported by one shapely post in the center.

Saarinen’s tables have been widely copied and reproduced, but authentic Saarinen tables were manufactured then and now by Knoll Associates, which Florence Knoll founded in 1948. From Knoll, they are 28-1/4 inches tall and the tops range in size from 35-3/4-inches round to 96 inches oval. The bases are made of heavy molded aluminum painted black or white. The tops are available in a variety of marbles, woods, granites, and laminate.

Vintage Tulip Tables are available. But so are a plethora of cheap, badly made knock-offs. If you’d like to bring a vintage Saarinen table into your home (and who wouldn’t?), know the characteristics of the authentic version, especially since the 1950s versions are selling for thousands. Pamela Wiggins’ article “How to identify a genuine Saarinen Table” (The Spruce.com) will give you all the information you need to make a confident purchase. Or save yourself the angst and buy a new one from Knoll!

A Tulip Table with a black base and gleaming wood top

To a Happy Independence Day!

Independent: c(1): Not requiring or relying on others, not subject to control by others (Merriam-Webster)                   


Today, the US commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence: Thirteen American colonies regarded themselves no longer part of the British Empire but as a new nation: the United States of America. 

A Salute to the Union is fired at noon by any capable military base.

In that spirit: to a Happy Independence Day!

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Photo tckaiser 

Things You Should Know If You Own, Plan to Own, or Plan to Renovate A Mid-Century Modern House

Part II. Great Expectations

The second post in a five-part series of guest posts

Exemplary mid-century modernist house in Charlotte, NC
designed by Aubrey Youngue Arant in 1964.

By Arielle Condoret Schechter, AIA
www.acsarchitect.com

Let’s say you’ve found a mid-century modern house with great flow and good “bones” that’s never been modified, so there are no inappropriate details or interruptions to the original floor plan. Fantastic! It’s also never been updated? Well, that’s both good and bad. Here’s why...

Old systems: If you’re buying a true mid-century modern house with all of its original systems intact, you can assume that a 50- to 60-year-old house will need updated plumbing, wiring, and a new HVAC system, updated kitchen appliances and (probably) bath fixtures for function and aesthetic value, plus a lot more insulation.

Glass: You can also plan on eventually replacing single-pane windows and glazing with more energy-efficient upgrades that simply weren’t available in the 1950s and ‘60s.

The original full glazing in the master bedroom of the 1954 Hammerman
House, designed by modernist master Richard Neutra, had to be replaced
with more energy-efficient, well-sealed glass during renovations.

And on that point: The brilliant minds that created the original mid-century modern houses were more progressive than the materials they used. For example, all of that glass was a wonderfully liberating way of opening the house to nature. But even the thick, tempered glass the MCM architects used for walls of windows was a terrible insulator. Operable windows were just single-pane. And sealants weren’t nearly as effective as they are today, so they failed easily and leaks were a constant concern.

There's no denying the cool
factor of jalousie windows.

Of course, not all replacement windows are the same. Some are more appropriate for MCMs than others.  It is important to consider energy efficiency along with the thinnest profile you can find.  The old steel windows used in many of these projects were energy sinks due to what is called “thermal bridging.”  If you want to replace your windows with steel, look for ones that have a “thermal break” to prevent energy loss. Also look for windows that have a clean, contemporary profile, without traditional moldings.

Roofs: The flat and shed (single sloped) roofs that set MCM houses apart from their traditional neighbors were another problem in the ‘50s and ‘60s. In cold climes, MCMs' flat roofs struggled under the weight of mounds of snow. And without today’s improvements to flat roof construction and materials, rain backed up into the original roofs and leaves piled up until the mess had to be removed by hand.

The result: leaks. Lots and lots of leaks. Which is why MCM houses that have been vacant for a while often display serious water damage on the ceilings, as you can see inside this MCM (pictured below) that has been vacant for 10 years and is now in danger of being razed. Again, brilliant minds were ahead of the technology their designs required. Even the great Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy includes a bounty of leaky roofs, windows, and skylights.

The sad result of vacancy and neglect.

In Part III, we’ll begin addressing appropriate ways to renovate a mid-century modern house, starting with interior finishes and fixtures.

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ARIELLE CONDORET SCHECHTER, AIA, is a licensed, registered architect based in Chapel Hill, NC, who specializes in Modernist, energy-efficient buildings with a focus on passive houses, NET ZERO houses, her new tiny-house plans known as the Micropolis Houses®, and mid-century modern renovations, remodeling, and additions.  For more information: www.acsarchitect.com.