Modern architecture in the 1930's

[foraloysius]

Last Saturday I went with a friend to the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam. The institute adopted a nearby modern villa that was built in the 1930's. It was restored some years ago and it's open to the public now. We had a wonderful time walking around in this house with some really modern features for that time.

Have a look at the website and see more of this 1930's gem.

http://www.nai.nl/e/sonneveld_e/index.html

 

[toggleswitch]

Louis:

Thank you for that! Great post.

 

[Cybrvanr]

Interesting home. I would have never guessed it was built in the 1930's. I would have placed it in the late sixties, seventies, or even into the eighties. Sorta hard to call it "mid century modern" when it was built before the mid-century!

 

[scott55405]

It does seem very mid-century modern though. If Louis had not said when it was built, I would have definitely guessed 50s or 60s. In all events it's a wonderful building!

 

[sheerlookhomes]

Hi Louis, thanks for posting this, it seems like a beautiful restoration. Nice continuos horizontal windows and the kitchen is stunning, very nice.
While I'm here..I have an ATAG oven Type OD1.11.B5E and would like to get an instruction manual for it. I've tried the ATAG website without success and importers in the U.K. seem to be non existant. I just wondered if you, being in the Netherlands, where ATAG is made, might know of somewhere or maybe someone who has one!! There are two other codes on it..
P CODE 9G1.21 00N 0000..and Q CODE Q00.10.115.
If you had any info on this I would be most grateful..I'll see if I can attach a pic..thanks again, Denis.

 

[sheerlookhomes]

I forgot to say..can anyone decipher or translate the above codes? thanks, Denis...sorry I 'highjacked' this thread somewhat

 

[foraloysius]

Denis, I sent you a mail about the Atag website.

The house above is related to the Bauhaus school (1919 - 1932) but in the Netherlands it had it's own variation. Both are part of the international school of modernism. I am very fascinated by this kind of design and also by how far ahead of their time these designers and architects were. Form follows function was their adage. Here's a picture of a Gispen chair, most of the furniture in the house comes from Gispen.

 

[gansky1]

Thanks for posting this Louis, I've gone back and looked at the pics several times. I just love the design and influence that came from the late 20's and 30's.

 

[sheerlookhomes]

..back to architecture!

Richard Neutra really does it for me, here is an early work, the Lovell health house..steel frame for this one

 

[sheerlookhomes]

..and the entrance from street level

 

[petek]

Me too, I've always envisioned living in one of those style of houses. PBS here just replayed for the umpteenth time the documentary on Frank Lloyd Wright which I always enjoy. According to that documentary he was dismissed by the modernist movement in the early 1930's as a dinosaur but went on to trump them all even though by that time he was getting old.

 

[foraloysius]

There is sort of a connection between the Dutch architects Van der Vlugt and Brinkman and Richard Neutra. The General Manager of Van Nelle, C.H. van Leeuwen who's house was designed by above architects financed the VDL (Van der Leeuw) research house of the Cal Poly University.

BTW, IIRC Richard Neutra was greatly inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.