Looking to sell up and head for the coast? Well, this art deco house in Porth, near Newquay, Cornwall could be the perfect retreat.
The house was built by the family who owned Porth harbour and commands fantastic views of the harbour (just a short walk from the house) from the bay windows. The current owners have obviously spent some serious money on the property too, with just about everything updated, mixing period features with more modern utilities.
Looking to brighten up your life with some old school Hollywood-style glamour? Well, book yourself into this William Cody-designed mid-century house in Palm Springs. California, USA.
Built in 1964 for inventor/industrialist Stanley Goldberg, the house sits high in the San Jacinto Hills, part of a small gated community and sat next to a pair of mid-century gems by John Lautner. The interior was featured in Architectural Digest back in 1967 and many of its key features remain, rubbing shoulders with artwork and furniture in keeping with the design – including originals from the likes of Paul Evans, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Richard Schultz and Eileen Gray.
Well, the media hype has died down and the ‘out of season’ is upon us, so it seems like the perfect time to finally check out the Midland Hotel in Morecambe. And as we weren’t on a press freebie, we are free to tell it as it is.
The two of us actually booked a room via Laterooms, which seems to have some good deals (as long you don’t want a Saturday night). We also tried to book in at the restaurant online, but our emails were ignored. More on the Midland’s eating later.
Getting to Morecambe is easy enough – up to a point. That point is when the M6 reaches Lancaster, where you’ll be forced to hit the city’s busy ring road before heading off into Morecambe centre. And don’t expect any signs for the Midland either, just head to the front and look out for the large white building, thankfully with a large car park to greet you.
The pictures of this 1960s-designed house in Bois-le-Roy near Paris, France say it all really – my jaw dropped when I saw it.
The house was designed by French architect Claude Parent, winning awards aplenty, including being selected as a worldwide architectural masterpiece by the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Arts in 1983. We love that curved concrete roof, which is clad in copper, as well as that wood, glass and concrete finish for the house. Part space age, part mid-century, totally stunning.
Designed back in the 1960s by Gresham Dodd, this mid-century-style house in the sought-after location of Jordans, Buckinghamshire is what you might call a ‘project’.
It’s a single story house, with a design influenced by Mies van der Rohe, Craig Ellwood and Philip Johnson and little changed from the day it was built – which means wall-to-wall windows for enjoying the view and wood paneling throughout. And those views are guaranteed – a covenant on the land forbids any further building.
The current credit crunch means there are less retro houses for sale in the UK – but there are still plenty elsehwere, if you have the money. Something you’ll need yo buy this André Bruyere-designed house in Saint Remy de Provence, Bouches du Rhône, France.
Bruyere designed this in 1968, based on traditional Mediterranean architecture, but throwing in some period 60s space age for an individual feel. Not that it needs much to stand out – the huge one-floor house is sat in one hectare of land, near to a nature reserve. Yes, we’re talking complete isolation, if that’s what you want and with a roof that doubles up as a patio, plenty of space to sit back and admire the landscape.
