Modern design: fresh and functional

If your impression of Modern design is simply that “less is more”,

you are right ... and wrong. This week I have been running around

taking a peek at some of the best houses in Newport Beach in

preparation for the Newport Harbor High Home tour.

My job is to write the home descriptions, so I get to take a mini

tour of my own before the big day, and I get the chance to share my

impressions and favorite vignettes with the ticket holders in an

attempt to make their experience educational as well enjoyable.

As I ran from house to house this week and began to construct my

game plan for each venue, there was one home that I realized needed

more viewer prep than the others. Some things are more than they

might seem at first impression. What we call “modern” is not just

about minimalism.

The Modern movement is actually more than 100 years old. The

philosophies that define Modernism are not about less is more, though

certainly I believe that adage is true. Modernists actually arrived

at clean and simple lines through a complex thought process, and I’d

like to share a synopsis with you so you can appreciate, not only

homes created with the Modern movement in mind, but also the

philosophy.

Frank Lloyd Wright is a name that most people in the western world

recognize. He was born in Wisconsin in 1867 and died in 1959. By

training, he was an architect. Art and analysis were the cornerstones

of his thought process. Over the course of his career, Wright created

what he termed “organic architecture”: architecture that fits into

its surroundings. His passion for architecture with open and flowing

spaces also translated into a passion for furniture.

He emphasized geometric forms and intersecting planes. Wright’s

theory behind his work was that natural beauty would promote the life

of the human spirit. It must not only look good, but also

intrinsically feel good.

Wright’s work expressed his reverence for nature and his belief in

the “soul of humanity,” and his influence is unparalleled in the

United States and Europe. Not far behind Frank Lloyd Wright came

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, born in Germany in 1886. He also was an

architect who left a deep impression on the world. Glass and steel

were his trademark materials, and he too thought of furniture as

architecture on a smaller scale.

His desire for visual harmony, refined details and perfect

proportions proved to be globally appealing.

He immigrated to Chicago and continued to promote the Modernist

style of architecture. He called his architecture and furnishings

“thoughts in action.”

Another revolutionary in the Modern movement was Charles Edouard

Jenneret, whose pseudonym was Le Corbusier. He too was an architect

with provocative ideas. His belief that man copes with progressive

change through his creations and surroundings inspired designs that

still inspire us.

Modern furniture continued its evolution through the eyes and

inspirations of Charles and Ray Eames, a husband and wife team whose

influence in the ‘40’s and ‘50’s was dramatic. Their maxim that

“design is for living” started a design shift that filtered down

through the masses. They considered their furniture to be “visual

language”, a combination of imagination, thought, art and science.

They created inspired designs out of bent plywood and molded

fiberglass. Not without a sense of humor, they described their

creations as “serious fun”. The Modern movement is a melange of

sleek, sophisticated, and functional elements. Though the look may be

simple, the theory behind it is anything but simple.

There you have it, my primer on Modern houses, one of which will

be on the Home Tour. Wanna know what else is in store? That’s next

week’s article.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Sundays.