Famous Homes: Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis House

In our continuing series of Famous Homes, let's travel to Los Angeles to take a peek at an amazing property designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1923 and built in 1924 for retailer Charles Ennis and his wife Mabel, now known (naturally) as The Ennis House.

The house, based on ancient Mayan temples (the Ennis House is sometimes referred to as an example of Mayan Revival architecture), is the fourth and largest of Wright's textile block designs, constructed primarily of interlocking pre-cast concrete blocks made of locally sourced decomposed granite. These textile blocks were inspired by reliefs seen at the Governor's Palace in the ancient Mayan city of Uxmal.

Each of the 27,000 concrete blocks used in the house measures 16 inches square with a 3.5-inch thickness and were made by hand using aluminum molds. These blocks were then woven together with steel rods, lending the name "textile blocks."

While the outside is staggering beautiful (check out that view of downtown LA!)...

...the 6,200-square-foot interior is where we find soaring ceilings and tall art glass windows (some of the last made by Wright). It is easy to sense the temple-inspiration in the proportions and layout of the interiors.

But the Ennis House has not been without its problems. Even while it was being built, it was plagued with structural instability issues with lower sections of the outer retaining wall buckling under pressure. And over a short amount of time, the concrete blocks began to decay prematurely because decomposed granite had been added to the concrete mix, which added natural impurities. That coupled with air pollution took heavy toll on the exterior, and consequently the interior. And then the house suffered extreme damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake as well as the record precipitation during the 2004–2005 rainy season. 

By then, the house was in such peril that the National Trust for Historic Preservation included the home on its 2005 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Places. But after a nearly decade long restoration of the home with help from Wright’s grandson Eric Lloyd Wright, who was the historic preservation consultant for the project, the home is now in perfect shape. Restoration work involved structurally stabilizing the house as well as replacing nearly 4,000 of the home’s 27,000 textile concrete blocks. The building was also re-roofed during the restoration, and the home’s interior wood floors, ceilings, and art glass windows were restored.

And of course, because such a grand, unique home is located in Los Angeles, it has shown up in films, on television, in commercials, and even in music videos! It served as the backdrop for films like "The Day of the Locust," "Rush Hour," "Grand Canyon," "The Rocketeer," and "Black Rain."

Grand Canyon

The Rocketeer

Black Rain

It has been featured in episodes of  "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and "Twin Peaks" but is perhaps most well known for being the location of Deckard's apartment in the classic sci-fi film "Blade Runner." While only a shot of Deckard arriving at the forecourt was actually filmed at the Ennis House, the interior of his apartment was created on a Warner Bros. set by by designer Charles William Breen who used actual plaster casts of textile blocks from the Ennis House to build the set! 

Even though the house is currently owned by a private individual and is generally not open to the public, part of a stipulation of the home's sale in 2019 is that it must be open to the public 12 days a year. But I can't find any information about when or how that takes place.

The Ennis House is listed on the Department of the Interior, National Register of Historic Places, as well as the National Trust for Historic Preservation list of Endangered Historic Places, and is a designated California Historical Landmark, and a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. The Frank Lloyd Wright website gave the Ennis House its own page, seen here.

Happy designing!

Happy Thanksgiving 2021!

I wish all of my readers and followers in the United States a very happy Thanksgiving Day!

"The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time."

--Douglas Wood

Happy Thanksgiving!

Four Easy Steps For Autumn Decor

Since I love autumn, but also because my blog metrics tell me this is a very popular post with lots of hits, I am reposting my 2013 piece about autumnal décor:

This is the time of year when the air chills, days grow shorter, and we turn to our indoor lives. Since the temperature is dropping, we desire warmth and comfort, we desire insulation from the elements, and we desire to cocoon ourselves in special places that allow for beauty and contemplation of the season. Below are four very simple--and inexpensive!--ways to bring a touch of autumn into your home.

1. Nature
This is the easiest, fastest way to achieve a rich, fall texture in your home. And there are a few ways to work with nature.

A trip to the produce section of your local supermarket will yield a bounty of decorative objects. Think of buying a bag or crisp red apples to put in a basket or on a wooden platter as a centerpiece for a table. Pick up a selection of pumpkins (large, medium and baby pumpkins) and gourds to arrange on an end or hall table. Red or purple grapes and fresh cranberries can be put into decorative glass bowls or vases. Even things like stalks of Brussels sprouts, artichokes, or deep hued purple eggplants can be effective in centerpieces or tableaux. Another wonderful element to use in autumn décor are nuts: walnuts, Filberts, hazelnuts, pecans... just pile them up in an amber colored glass dish or scatter around a table setting.

A trip to the florist or nursery can provide you with some beautiful autumn color in the form of cut flowers like autumn colored chrysanthemums or potted orange marigolds. You can also find dried flowers and greenery like hydrangeas or eucalyptus to use in vases or other containers (I have a lovely antique ceramic German beer stein that gets some dried hydrangeas around this time of year.) Many places sell colorful Indian corn as well to add to the mix.

Finally, the most accessible way of obtaining natural elements to use is to forage! Autumn leaves, twigs to bundle or gather into bouquets, pine cones, sheaves of wheat or grasses can be found almost anywhere. Keep your eyes peeled and if you see a pretty fallen branch with a bit of moss on the sidewalk, snap it up!

2. Candles
Candles add a wonderful ambiance any time of the year but they seem especially appropriate in the colder autumn and winter months. Display pillar candles on a platter surrounded by nuts and pine cones, put them in lanterns, arrange a bunch of candles of varying heights with apples and mini ceramic pumpkins on a dining table. If you have a non-operational fireplace, candles look wonderful grouped in the firebox, giving the same visual cue as a log-burning fire.

3. Texture
For added interest, turn to earthy or rich textures:
* woods like oak and birch (candle holders, branches, bowls)
* burlap (a rustic table runner or cloth)
* velvet (pillows, drapery)
* blankets or throws in thick woven materials or faux fur
* rich patterns like paisley (pillows, throws, rugs, tablecloths or runners)

4. Color
At this time of the year, we are naturally surrounded by a rich palette: rust, crimson, purple, russet, mustard, forest green, umber, sienna...Use these hues as inspiration for objects in your own home.

It is easy to change out pillows, add some earthenware vases, and display some autumn colored fruit.

The addition of a throw and some white mini-pumpkins along with branches and dried vines in rustic jugs on the mantel above a warming fire sets the stage for fall.

Warm autumnal tones and a large scale paisley print look cozy and inviting.

Branches with brilliant rust and brown leaves placed inside honor the crisp days of the season. Notice the blanket of leaves, apples, and a gnarled piece of wood at the foot of the arrangement.

Gourds, decorative mercury glass pumpkins, an antler, and lanterns with glowing candles make a textural, interesting grouping. Image from Pottery Barn.

Branches and a selection of pumpkins in various hues are displayed with antique rakes in an almost minimalist tableau.

This casual table setting includes cinnamon sticks on forest green glass mugs (a lovely touch), apples, pine cones, leaves, and a coarsely woven cloth in natural hues of linen and taupe.

I set my Thanksgiving table every year with some gourds, red leaves, and a dried floral arrangement studded with eucalyptus, dried lotus pods (I love their shape) and pheasant feathers. I also use my grandmother's pressed glass turkey candy dish filled with an assortment of nuts (although some years, it holds cranberry relish!). Photo by Jeff Fiorito.

Bare twigs in simple glass cylinders (available at any craft store or florist) are anchored by what looks like a mix of wild rices. Berries, moss and lichen covered branches, pine cones and mini pumpkins complete the festive look.

Hazelnuts act as vase fillers for copper mums. Brilliant.

The simplicity of a single leaf on a white plate still expresses the richness and bounty of the season.

Now that you are acquainted with some simple, available ingredients, I hope you are inspired to gather some of these elements and honor the textures, smells, and sights of the season. And remember my helpful guidelines for creating a tableau, previously here: think about the shape your grouping makes; include tall, medium, and low objects for a variety of levels; odd numbers work best; and most importantly, contrast brings interest (rough next to smooth, light next to dark, large next to small).

Have a wonderful autumn and happy designing!