California light

A sumptuous book celebrating the Californian modernist houses designed by Grant Kirkpatrick and his KAA Design company. Twenty-four are featured in a slightly different way from the usual architectural format, here there are many close-ups of sections of a house to reveal interior space, structural aspects, material, glass and lighting. A common feature is the concept of allowing the pleasant Californian climate into the building either with large open access or huge areas of glass.

All the houses are custom designed and Kirkpatrick writes a short intro for each with his thoughts on how he designed the property in relation to the site and the needs of the client. One remarkable hillside residence (inspired by Case Study Programme from the mid-forties) includes a two lane bowling alley. Obviously several have a water feature or swimming pool.

The book's large size allows the many spread wide photos to show off the exterior and interiors (though predictable there are no people in sight) and most of the photos  include interesting long captions. Some pages have illustrations of the a project and there are house plans, perhaps a bit small to appreciate the detail and minus any key for the various rooms.

Kirkpatrick says in his Preface that, since 1988, he has designed hundreds of California buildings, this work book reveals how his interesting ideas turn into unique wonderful homes.