Adolf Loos and His House for Josephine Baker

This tiny maquette of the never-realized house that Adolf Loos designed for Josephine Baker in 1928 sits on a bookshelf at My Ranchburger. It was to have been built in Paris on a corner of Avenue Bugeaud in the 16th arrondissement.

The facade was to have been covered in black and white marble.

The original maquette, along with a number of drawings, is in the Albertina Museum in Vienna. This above maquette: Model design: Paul Groenendijk and Piet Vollaard. Scale: 1:100; copyright, Elsie Altmann-Loos.

I constructed my little model from the pages of this book, Adolf Loos: Huis voor/house for/maison pour/Haus für Josephine Baker by Paul Groenendijk and Piet Vollaard. The publication was found at the Bookstore & Gift Shop, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston some years ago.

Josephine Baker has inspired generations with her great intelligence, talents and charm. Looking at this maquette of a house she inspired, makes me smile, as I imagine her living there, swimming in the indoor pool, dancing across marble floors in her banana skirt, or walking her pet leopard around the neighborhood.

Zamore Homes Open House

The Design Within Reach furniture and accessories used in styling the Zamore Homes event were a perfect combination.

Zamore Homes of Houston held an open house today to show off their Kit Collection 2009. On display were two homes on Center Street, one furnished and the other unfurnished, plus a small guest house. (By the way, the two homes are for sale and the guest house is for rent.)

The Architect's models for Kit Collection Homes were on display in the guest house.

The unfurnished house allowed one to appreciate the absolute perfection in the execution of a perfect minimalist design. The real luxury in these kit houses, aside from built-in quality, is the use of high ceilings and the abundance of natural light.

Every entrance was an exercise in minimalist drama. The stylist used a light touch to continue the theme.

This is perfect, affordable minimalism; and you thought that was an oxymoron.