Saturday, December 22, 2007

More Photos of the Kaufmann House...

...thanks to one of Your Mama's lovely children, we can hook y'all up with a few more stunning pictures of the world famous Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs, CA which is expected to fetch more than $15,000,000 when it is sold as part of Christie's Post-War & Contemporary Art sale in May, 2008. Prepare to be flabbergasted by it's beauty even if you don't care for world class modernist architecture.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Besides oohing and aahing over the lovely house (where to start??), I couldn't help be saddened that such a labor of love will simply be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Such an undertaking as this renovation must surely become part of your soul, and it has to be terrible for the Harris' to have reached this point.

Anonymous said...

I'm just not feeling it for this house. It's not very inviting looking. Some of the pictures of the exterior remind me of our local water treatment plants. Not to mention that house must get hotter than you know what in the summer. And not much area around the pool to lay around, especially if you have guests over. Sorry but this place is just not my cup of tea.

Anonymous said...

Incredible -- just incredible -- especially when you consider an architect and his client had such vision in 1946.

Anonymous said...

i didn't know its a glass house, thats cool, i guess i wasn't paying attention.
i got a different perspective with these pics & can even appreciate the moonscape setting.

Anonymous said...

It's just simply amazing. Bravo to Marmol & Radziner for such a sympathetic restoration.

Anonymous said...

the beauty and simplicity of this house is, to borrow a phrase from Duke Ellington, beyond category.

and yeah, all this in 19 fucking 46 and it still looks both current and timeless at the same time.

Anonymous said...

What were they thinking back there in 1946?????? Where can I put my flamingo wallpaper??? There are no walls!! Oh, but that view and that landscaping.........wonderful.

Anonymous said...

That NYT piece sounds like they think the Harrisses invented collecting houses... they should look at the collection of Richard H. Jenrette.

I can admire the Kaufmann house without ever wanting to live there, kind of like Versailles.

luke220 said...

I am surprised that the New York Times gave it such coverage, like a free ad for Christies.

The house is pretty and setting spectacular but it must be uninhabitable half the year for the heat. Frank Lloyd Wright would have more roof overhang in order to limit direct exposure from the scorching sun.

I think $15 million is ambitious. For the money, I'd take Malibu.

Anonymous said...

Mama, for Christmas could I please have some floor plans of an old unremodeled gigaplex on the UES? Maybe a stray floor plan from the Dakota? Thank you sweetheart. I remember seeing one a long time ago of an old robber baron mansion that somehow still survived and was for sale. I can't remember any details, but it was the gateway into my full blown realestate porn habit. I remember I printed it off and took it to bed with me every night and studied it until my bleary eyes closed. I think it was on a side street and was about 6 stories. It had nooks and crannies in the nooks and crannies.

Anonymous said...

"I think $15 million is ambitious. For the money, I'd take Malibu"

It's not about L.A or Malibu or N.Y so there is no sense in comparing. This is about a piece of history for sale.

p.s - $15M doesn't buy much on the beach in malibu.

luke220 said...

For $15 million I'd prefer this, and it wouldn't be in a hell hole.

www.TrancasModernMasterpiece.com

Anonymous said...

Absolutely stunning! The upgrades over the years have been sensitive to the original plan, athough the second floor, the "gloriette" has been altered somewhat.

Much as I'd love me a drinks pavilion, I can't help wondering how it spoils the view from the master bedroom.

Mama should be proud at the amount of xeriscaping involved - I want this house!

Anonymous said...

This place, the site, is just stunning. However, I wonder if you could ever sit outside in the heat.

Anonymous said...

You'd think for all the money spent restoring this gem they could have coughed up a few bucks to repair the cracks in the coping around the pool, now, couldn't they?

luke220 said...

The Currier Museum in Manchester, New Hampshire owns a Frank Lloyd Wright house, but that was donated to the museum by the family who commissioned it, along with all of its Wright designed furniture. A magnanimous gesture by a very generous family.