Dwell Oct-12

What Does an American House Look Like? Craftsman, Farmhouse, Prairie, or McMansion—these are all architectural styles arguably indicative of an “American” vernacular, like it or not. But in a country as vast as ours, the idea that one typology could trump all others is laughable. So why try? No matter what the outside wrapping may be, any house in the United States is American, and any home can be modern on the inside. In the pages that follow, you’ll find American homes from Santa Cruz to Connecticut, some with modern bones and some without. You’ll find innovation in construction techniques, tributes to regional styles reinterpreted with updated twists, and even a sly interior renovation inserted behind a traditional street-facing facade. We find energy and inspiration in the gamut of projects…

Editors’ note: “The Real Cost of Rip-Offs” (June 2012) sparked a strong debate about the furniture industry. Join the conversation at dwell.com/authentic-design. I just read “The Real Cost of Rip-Offs.” Very well done. My wife and I purchased a couple of Adrian Pearsall tables and set of vintage chairs for our living room. We have been looking for a vintage love seat without much luck, so we began to consider contemporary furniture. After reading the article, I now know what to look for: a licensed seller versus a company that offers “faithful reproductions” of a designer’s furniture. Jon Town Phoenix, Arizona Defending the purchase of a replica by declaring originals “unaffordable” touches on a challenging issue of our time. How did we arrive at a point where consumers expect to…

Lincoln Barbour Since his start as a photographer’s assistant over ten years ago, photographer Lincoln Barbour has always wanted to shoot for Dwell. When the assignment for “New Frontiers” (My House, p. 62) came, he excitedly told his wife and then called his parents (who are subscribers). “The shoot couldn’t have gone any better,” he says. “A welcoming family, beautiful weather, and excellent design made for portfolio-worthy images.” Addie Broyles As if Michael Young’s garden wasn’t enough to endear him to Austin writer Addie Broyles (“Heart of Gold and Pine,” p. 96), the way he uses sands and soils from around the world in his large-scale artworks did. Now she finally knows what to do with that jar of white sand that she’s kept since a childhood vacation to New…

With these modern-day lodges for Kansas City campers heading to the country, a Missouri architecture firm puts a fresh face on a 100-year-old Girl Scout tradition. A far cry from the rustic cabins—often little more than enclosed tents—that former Girl Scouts may recall from back in the day, the new bunkhouses at Camp Prairie Schooner outside of Kansas City, Missouri, are geared toward the 21st-century urban camper. Architect Douglas Stockman of El Dorado Inc. explains that his firm designed the structures for city-dwelling youngsters “with some of the comforts of being at home, plus technology as a tool for the activities associated with camp.” Vernacular strokes include the roofline—uninterrupted gables that evoke traditional bunkhouse architecture—and cladding. Though one might not categorize corrugated metal as strictly regional, Stockman explains, “It’s widely…

From sea to shining sea, the United States holds a wide stratum of makers. Here we’ve collected the newest products from our favorite welders, weavers, and woodworkers, to name just a few. A. Buendia, Libertad, and Roxas Pillows by Inigo Elizalde $165–$215 each Elizalde’s woven dhurries are hand-knotted in Nepal, but he’s deconstructed a few of his boldest patterns into a collection of pillows, all printed in North Carolina and sewn in New York City. inigoelizalderugs.com B. Array Pendant by Bend $2,200 A new silhouette in Bend’s Los Angeles–made, spot-welded oeuvre is an iron lighting fixture whose name alludes to the mathematical term meaning “an orderly arrangement of slanted lines.” bendseating.com C. Ada Quilt by Meg Callahan for MatterMade $1,525 Inspired by vernacular traditions, Providence-based Callahan used a very contemporary…

How do American companies maintain handcrafted detail while producing fast enough—and in large enough quantities—to satisfy profit margins and consumers accustomed to instant gratification? Do you know how and where your own coffee table was made? If you answered, “It was handcrafted by a midsize American producer,” perhaps you’ve wondered how homegrown companies compete with those offering more affordable products manufactured overseas. In most cases, it requires walking the line between custom and standardized. It helps if you live in a place like Charleston, South Carolina, a port city with a strong craft tradition. Most of The Urban Electric Company’s 75 employees are involved in day-to-day lighting production at their headquarters in North Charleston, yet most have no background in the necessary coppersmithing. Instead, they’re makers: jewelers, sculptors, and auto…