Quoting Finnish architect Alvar Aalto that the purpose of architecture is to “build a paradise on earth for man” is an apt introduction to 36 homes across the Golden State that express an Edenic way of life. Your house envy will be activated as you page through homes of, as Webb describes them, “the lucky few [who] can choose to live where they want and commission an architect to tailor one or more houses to their dreams.” In his essay, Webb gives a primer on California’s architectural strength as the exemplar of the single-family home. The themed sections—“Engaging Nature,” “Weaving the Urban Fabric,” and “Viewing Town & Country”—seem to overlap, particularly as connotations of “nature,” “urban,” “town,” and “country” are quite flexible when referring to California. (The author admits the classifications are “porous.”) With all but three architects based in California, these creators intrinsically understand the challenges of designing with concerns of earthquakes, energy savings, challenging sites, drought, and other restrictions. What carries through all these stunners is an unabashed commitment to form—from strictly orthogonal to blobby to fractured.
Thames & Hudson, 2024, 304 pages, hardcover, $65.
