The Etenza House was also a part of the Case Study Houses, and in fact belonged to the creator of the program, John Etenza (Eames Foundation).

The Entenza House and Eames House are in a sense meant to complement one another: with the Eames house being “a revealed vertical space,” and the Entenza House is a “complimentary concealed horizontal space” (Eames Foundation).

It’s interesting to note some of the similarities in its use of steel framing but with a different character to the Eames house. I definitely notice that concealed nature mentioned. It almost looks to me like a hidden cave. The fireplace is very appropriate in that sense. I think its interesting that while I am temperamentally inclined to prefer the Etenza House, since I prefer the privacy, I like the Eames house more. I think because the Eames house feels more closely connected to the nature around it.

By far, my personal favorite piece of architecture by the Eameses is their personal home and studio in Pacific Palisades. First built in 1949, the house was actually a commission as part of the Case Study House program. The goal of the program was to design and build cheap and efficient model homes that might house the millions of soldiers returning home from World War II (Kenney, 2019). I think that’s a very interesting motivation even though, as we know, things did not move in that direction. With how exposed the side is, it’s hard for me to imagine in areas without dense trees covering it, as they benefited from.

Charles Eames himself said the house was “unselfconscious” (Eames Foundation, n.d.), and it certainly comes across that way. Every design element seems as if it’s in place not to impress or seem sophisticated but as an expression of the core Eameses’ personal sensibilities.

It seemed to fit them so well that they never moved from the home until their death. Today, it still stands as a National Historic Landmark and visited by some 20,000 visitors per year (Kenney, 2019).

Charles and Ray Eames designed the De Pree House at the request of Max De Pree who saw one of Charles’ designs. Max De Pree was the son of the founder of Herman Miller office company (Eames Office, 2014).

The front of the house (pictured above) showcases two symmetrical wooden structures. On the left is a single car garage and, on the right, a study. Concealed behind the two, there is a walkway leading to the main body of the house. There’s something foreboding about the front with its flat roofs. It feels like a hidden wooden fortress (I think that’s kind of cool though). The backside is far more inviting.  I especially like that exposed lounge area with curved windows.

The De Pree’s later sold the home to a Herman Miller employee, but, in 2010, Herman Miller Inc. purchased it so as to renovate and restore it and, since 2017,  it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Eames Office, 2014).

It may appear a bit unusual for a piece of furniture to be highlighted, but the Eames Lounge Chair is arguably the design the Eameses are best known for. In fact, the chair is part of a permanent collection at the New York Museum of Modern Art (Museum of Modern Art, “Charles Eames…”). I can see why. I rarely take note of chair designs, but as soon as I saw this chair, I spent at least a minute admiring it.

Designed in 1956 for the high-end market, Charles wanted the chair to have “the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt” (Museum of Modern Art, “The Story of…”). In that sense, the chair has a distinctly American character to it. It also marked a departure from the Eameses usual goal of creating affordable and easily produced furniture, which is quite sad because I would have liked to own one!

Having spent 10 years of my life, specifically my most formative years, in this home, it’s hard not to say it left an impact. I distinctly remember discovering this home while house hunting with my sister and parents as a child. My sister and I immediately loved it. Having grown up in a small home before this one, the house seemed like a mansion to our eyes.

Moving throughout the house, it felt like we were discovering new secrets around every corner. In the garage was a string. When yanked back it opened a ladder to a small attic. This was unbelievable to us. An attic! Like what people on TV have. My sister and I told our parents we wanted to live in this house because we liked that one of the trees grew pinecones. Whether this is the reason we ultimately chose this house I don’t know but life is random that way.

Having visited the house recently, I was shocked by how different it felt. Being built in the 60s, this house was starting to show its age. The kitchen was very small, much smaller than I remembered, and it was hard not to find an area without some battle scars. Even that pinecone tree is no longer around. It had died and needed to be cut down. It’s sad to see the state this house is in, but I appreciate it for what it was and hope to renovate it one day.

The Bizzell Memorial Library is a beautiful building in its own right. However, it’s the more reserved northside of the building that had a real impact on me. I discovered it after class one day while taking an unusual path to my car through the narrow passage between Bizzell Memorial Library and Evans Hall. I discovered some kind of vines had grown over to entirely cover the northside entrance.

As evidenced by some Google Maps images I found, this had not always been the case. Whether this was a naturally occurring phenomenon or purposefully installed is hard to say. Nevertheless, I was mesmerized by it. If one gets close and looks straight upward, they see nothing but greenery extending out to the sky. As if looking at a  green field except vertically. What makes the scene more interesting is the little bits of reddish leaves, which complement the green nicely. I’d recommend checking it out if its still around.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, is a grand mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. It is a functioning mosque with five prayers scheduled per day. Visitors are allowed to visit during non-prayer hours. This is when I visited the mosque during my trip to Turkey.

What is immediately noticeable about the mosque is the vast amount of open space. That vastness makes it hard not to feel the significance of the place. I imagine its purpose is to allow as many people as possible to be able to participate in prayer. When prayer occurs, it is in direction of the beautiful stained glass windows (pictured below). But what I find most pleasing about the building are the intricate designs on the interior main dome. Attached to the dome, is a massive low-hanging chandelier. This made the mosque on of the highlights of my visit to Turkey.

Opened in 2015, the JW Marriott Hotel in Austin, Texas was designed by Nunzio Marc Desantis while at HKS, Inc (HKS). During my first visit to Austin in 2015 with three of my friends, we stayed at this hotel for a convention. Since we happened to go the same year the hotel opened, I was shocked by how clean and extravagant it felt.

Despite it being my first time in Austin, I could tell they managed to capture the city’s feeling. It even incorporates Texas limestone, copper, and zinc to make it look like a building that belongs to the city. As a testament to its design, the building received the 2016 Texas Society of Architects Design Award (HKS).

Speaking personally, I love the angle of the building at its corner. With the large piece of glass on top and the way it protrudes out sharply, it reminds me of a ship coming towards me. The roof of the building also features a beautiful outdoor pool with a partial view of the Colorado River.