I think it has a lot of potential, but a few things seem to bother me. I don't care for the lack of uniformity in the flooring, I feel that the shiny and dark wide plank wood flooring in particular doesn't fit the space.

The floral drapery seems to not enhance anything else. The animal heads seem trite, as do the ghost chairs. The kitchen is quite nice, the curb appeal is calming and tranquil, and the natatorium is perfect. (OHHHHH word of the day y'all!)

Aside from the wood floors which I would refinish in a matte tone, and probably strip, it has a lot going for it.

I think what is probably original is the parquet flooring--it's all too shiny, I agree. There was also probably a lot of carpet, and vinyl in the kitchen.

Some of the drapery seems to predate the current owners, but with the huge expense covering those walls of glass, they left what was there when they moved in. (Making an assumption there, but the drapery doesn't seem consistent with the current furnishings.)

Really interesting house, I also like the wall in the front garden. I do see what you mean about the furniture.

I just wish we had such interesting housing stock here!

The flooring doesn't bother me at all but the floral curtains, the animal skulls, the cowhide rug, the oversized chess piece, the huge clock on the floor must go along with picture of Abe.

It could be a spectacular home if there weren't so many distracting influences. What part of the world is it in?

Is the word of the day, "natatorium" a part of the main house?

What is the cushiony thing in the fourth picture? Gray, yellow, blue and red maybe? I'd really like to have that to match my Eames ESU desk.

I really like architecture of the home, especially the windows. I agree with you all on the flooring and furniture. I dont like the granite or cabs in the kitchen. Really cool house that has a lot of potential!

I love the house but am really confused by the decor. And I am an eclectic decorator - my own house is a mishmash of styles but this house doesn't seem to have any common thread.

Love the house! I would add a consistent flooring throughout. I would remove the curtains, and of course my own furniture which I would try to compliment the house using more similar styles of furniture. I would also def remove the huge chandy from the dining area.

I understand brutalist. What elements make it "regency"?

What an interesting home. I'm amazed that I find it appealing. It actually has a warm, welcoming feel. Beautiful grounds too.

I agree about the flooring - way too shiny and it seems the openness of the floor plan calls for a unified element.

javachik

English Regency:

Begets Hollywood Regency:

I like the house a lot, but, yes, would change some things that have already been mentioned. Not a fan of all the ceiling lights in the kitchen and dining rooms either.

Don't really see Regency other than maybe that chandelier in the dining room, but I am no expert for sure!

You can't get a good view of the overall house, but it is a balanced arrangement of mansard roofed pavilions, and that trapezoidal glass-fronted entryway with the 8-ft double doors is a strong regency influence.

REALLY REALLY LIKE!!! Except for the decorations, but people take those with them when they leave anyway. I too would change out the light in the dining room.

Original bathrooms would be a cool feature too IMO. Wish we had interesting places around here :/

Overall I like the house but those shiny floors would have to go and I would play up the windows to frame the view better.

Love the parquet floors.

I would like to see the rest of the house, especially the bathrooms.

Thank you, Palimpsest.

Really like the unusual fireplaces, especially the long and low one in the FR. Thanks again for the tour through the styles of your area.

Love seeing all the interesting spaces you post, thank you!

I like the house itself but strongly dislike the furnishings and art work. It seems so piece-y. And each piece seems too "special". I like decor where not every piece is special- some are just ordinary or just nice. I'm not expressing myself very well here- maybe the feeling I get has something to do with the overly self-awareness you mentioned, Pal.

I hope someone with money and taste buys the house, so much potential. Thanks for posting.
(I like the shiny floors so it won't be me, haha)

I would like that pool.

Also I would like the fireplaces, to spit-roast the alligators and pythons that might infest the pool, if the doors were left open to the outside.

There is a functional reason for fifteen foot wide fireplaces, isn't there?

Another opportunity for a design lesson... What is "brutalist?" I've never heard the term before in context with decorating and design.

The term originated in "Beton-brut" which means exposed concrete in French.

Because the concrete was not finished on the surface and the formwork and imperfections were allowed to show, the surface appearance can be rather rough and sharp, and because the buildings were also highly functional in design, they are often forbidding, if not ugly in appearance.

So brutalism started to take on the meaning of the English word "brutal"- crude, coarse, harsh etc.

In the wrong hands, brutalist architecture can be extremely ugly--think of the concrete apartment blocks in Communist-era Eastern Europe. In the right hands (Louis I Kahn) the complete exposure of form can be really beautiful

Brutalist also came to encompass other materials which were used in a raw state, or where the material itself dictated the form or shape of the object.

This house has some brutalist features: prominent use of formed concrete around the outside of the house, and the pool, and to some extent the stripped down expression of the Hollywood Regency form of the house.

Thanks for posting such an interesting house! I love it.

I agree the decorating is a bit ...unique and the updates I can identify (e.g. kitchen flooring) aren't what I would choose with the house.

I wonder if it was staged to appeal to young/hip buyers? I love a lot of the furnishings individually but wonder if some of them are under scale, and I guess I 'see' in my head this general type of interior with a more vintage type look of layered pieces, more like a Charles and Ray Eames house look - not necessarily minimalist, not strictly one era but rather collected over time, sort of more like the library picture above which is my favorite room decorating-wise.

Eames living room

But then again, that type of look doesn't necessarily accept the "regency" aspect they've got going on with the chandeliers etc. So maybe I'm trying to strip back something that really shouldn't be stripped back?

Agree on the canted wall, it's really interesting and blends well into the landscape.

Imagine those drapes in the living room with funky sofas instead of a grey sectional....

Without the staining...

Even...

This post was edited by robotropolis on Mon, Jun 23, 14 at 13:58

I think you are right that the Eames/Knoll sort of MCM might be a bit too spare for this house--partly because Eames/Knoll modernist has its roots way back in the late 1940s and this house is 1968 and design was evolving into something more elaborate.

Even though there is a lot or spare-ness in this house it also has it's Regency and Brutal aspects, and these sorts of designs were heavy (think of Spanish Mediterranean furniture coming into vogue around this time)

This is brutalist furniture (and these sideboards are going for $125K + at auction currently):

Brutalist Lamps:

Nakashima's later pieces used more heavily burled wood rather than just thinner planks with a live edge:

Upholstery started to get furrier and tufted:

That purple couch was made for those drapes!

Pal - Is this a Brutalist kitchen? Modern Brutalist?

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Lithia Springs Tile, Stone & Countertops International Granite & Marble- Atlanta

I would call that kitchen pretty conventional contemporary because the granite and backsplash are fairly ornamental.

I don't know what would really define a brutalist kitchen except that it's in a brutalist house--and sometimes the kitchens were fairly conventional because they were work spaces, not the center of everything like they are today:

Kitchen in local strange brutalist house:

Esherick House kitchen:

Brazilian Brutalist