I'm In Heaven

Bungalow Heaven, that is. This is a landmark district of Pasadena that is saturated with Craftsman bungalows. In the early 20th century, lots of folks from the midwest decided to visit Pasadena because of it's lovely climate and, slowly, many people began to permanently settle in the area known as Bungalow Heaven. Instead of building large, Victorian homes, many families built affordable single-story structures suited to the warm climate, with verandas for outdoor entertainment, overhanging eaves and multiple windows to provide shade and cross-ventilation in the days before air conditioning. Typical Craftsman built-in cabinetry was also a space-saving innovation for these modest sized homes.

So I attended the recent Bungalow Heaven Home Tour in the hope of being inspired and spending a nice Sunday afternoon outdoors. I didn't expect a lecture on William Morris, the English reformer, poet, and designer who initiated the craftsmanship, simplicity, and quality materials associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement. But I certainly wasn't wowed. Nevertheless, it was nice to see so many quintessential elements of the movement on display. Everywhere I turned, I saw exposed beams and river rock foundations and impressive chimneys. Most of the homes were truly in harmony with their natural environment. The bungalows included low horizontal lines to integrate interior with exterior, expansive porches and  French windows to invite the outdoors in. California Craftsmen had a mish mosh of influences and I could see lots of Spanish and Japanese flourishes in some of the cottages that I toured.

As a whole, I was sorely disappointed by the tour. Many of Heaven's denizens must be turned off by the hordes of earthly mortals that want to sniff around this Craftsman empyrean. I suppose I wouldn't want curious souls stomping on my garden, treading on my hardwood floors, inquiring about the source of materials and touching my hand-crafted moulding and cabinetry. I think all the truly magnificent homes probably had sage owners who kept their doors closed. I did get a peek at some kit homes which were interesting predecessors of modern-day pre-fab buildings. In the future, I'll skip the formal tour and just walk around the area. Maybe I'll try to befriend one of the homeowners and ask for a private tour.

For the time being, I'll have to continue looking at photos in my various books on Craftsman architecture and the Arts and Crafts Movement. Currently, my favorite page turner is Craftsman Style by Robert Winter and Alexander Vertikoff.