Anna and Valentin on General Hospital have been the couple of dreams. Quintessential enemies to lovers story. The spy with a heart of gold...
Never judge a book by its cover.
"We asked him to alter and decorate the house," Edith Wharton wrote in her 1934 memoir, "A Backward Glance." "(It was)...a somewhat new departure, since the architects of that day looked down on house-decoration as a branch of dress-making, and left the field up to the upholsterers, who crammed every room with curtains, lambrequins, jardinieres of artificial plants, wobbly velvet-covered tables littered with silver gee-gaws and festoons of lace on mantelpieces and dressing tables." (Excuse me while I sneeze). Mrs. Wharton gave the job of updating her Newport cottage to a well bred, quick witted 28-year-old wag named Ogden Codman Jr. (1863-1951), whom she found amusing on the subject of the boring people they knew in Newport, and with whom she was in profound agreement on the subject of aesthetics. I'd never heard of the Great Fire of 1872 which leveled 65 acres of downtown Boston. Aside from the 30 people who were killed outright, legions more were dealt financial body blows, among them the aristocratic Codmans of Boston and, in the summer, a fine old house in Lincoln, Mass. (BOH visited 'The Grange,' as it's called, in March of last year). Rental portfolio in ruins and cash spigot reduced to a trickle, the Codmans Sr. did what many upscale Americans families in those days (and continued to do until the late 1950s) - they moved to France. Living was cheap, culture abundant, and one's reasons for relocation weren't necessarily obvious. Ogden Jr. was a sensitive 12-year-old when the family resettled in the "Emerald Coast" resort of Dinard. He was 19 when he returned to the States and entered MIT, a convert to the aesthetics of 18th century France, but not so much to Dinard. "Anything is better than that wretched hole of a place," he wrote to his mother in 1883. The family returned to the States in 1884. Besides native aesthetic acuity, Ogden Codman Jr, had the benefit of two uncles - architect John Sturges and decorator Richard Ogden - whose encouragement led him in 1891 to open his own design office, with branches in Boston and fashionable Newport. In Newport he met the not-yet-famous but very-well-connected Edith (Mrs. Teddy) Wharton (1862-1937), and it was she who, in 1894, introduced him to Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the churchy, stuffy, unimaginably rich eldest son of the late William Henry Vanderbilt. Mr. Vanderbilt's Newport cottage, called the Breakers, had just burned to the ground. Richard Morris Hunt had designed the new house, and French decorateurs were doing the state rooms on the ground floor. The upper floors, however, were given to young Codman. His elegant, uncluttered, French-influenced interiors launched a career in high society that would ultimately include clients like John D. Rockefeller and Frederick Vanderbilt. Three years after the Breakers commission, realizing he and Edith had a lot to say on the same subjects, they wrote a book together titled "The Decoration of Houses." It was an instant classic and remains one today. I've seen a boatload of fancy New York apartments in the last 20 years, designed by architects who should have read this book and clearly didn't. Had they paid attention to only one of Edith and Ogden's dictums, that proportion - that subtle harmony between width and length and height - was the "good breeding" of architecture, rich America would have been spared a whole lot of lumpy rooms. The chic professionals who labor today to obscure the rotten proportions of so much modern architecture are, ironically, not so far off Edith's 19th century "dress-makers." Edith and Ogden's relationship - textbook platonic, I might add - was way too hot not to cool down. They had a terrible falling out (alas, over money) in 1902, amidst construction of the Mount, Edith's house in Lenox, Mass. Codman's life was unaffected by the breach, however, and in 1904 he found a new best friend in the form of Leila Griswold Webb, widow of rich former client named H. Walter Webb, and mother of two orphaned boys, aged 9 and 14 respectively. Of Codman, then 41 years old, one reporter noted, in the code of the day, that, "it had been supposed that he would die a bachelor." In 1907, career going gangbusters, coffers bulging with the former Mrs. Webb's millions, Codman bought a double lot on East 96th Street off Fifth and began planning a new house. Mrs. Codman died unexpectedly in 1910, before the house was even started, and left her widowed husband unfettered not only financially, but in every other way. Just as Oliver Belmont's Belcourt in Newport was originally intended as a palatal stable with one bedroom for a horse-mad bachelor, so Ogden Codman's 7 East 96th Street was built as a French "hotel particulier" for a single aesthete. Worthy of note is the unprepossessing tenement neighborhood in which 7 East 96th Street was built. 19th century speculators had kept land prices high on most Central Park blocks, and that had discouraged tenement projects. East 97th Street, however, was not one of those blocks, due in large part to New York Central trains emerging from muffled camouflage in the Park Avenue tunnel into noisy glory under the sunshine at 97th and Park. Codman is said to have lifted the Louis XVI facade of 7 East 96th Street directly from plates in Cesar Daly's 1880 "Motifs Historiques d'Architecture." M. Daly did indeed write such a book, but I was unable to find the plates. Given Ogden Codman's background, interests and education, however, this is probably true. Codman spent less than eight years at 7 East 96th Street before backwash from the First World War ruined his architectural business and, in a reprise of his parents' past, he moved to France. This time, however, he had the Webb millions to cushion the blow. 7 East 96th was first rented, then sold to a succession of occupants, including the Nippon Club, founded in 1905 as the first and only Japanese Social Club in the U.S. The Manhattan Country School bought the building in 1966 and substantially altered the interiors for classroom use. At the center of the wrought iron balcony railing outside the second floor library are the owner's initials, "OC." But who in the world are "D" and "B" appearing at either end? Perhaps a socially informed reader will clear that one up. Codman's stepsons were John and Henry, not that their initials were likely to show up on his house. The Manhattan Country School's mid-1960s alteration, combined with 50 years of galloping schoolchildren, have had an unsurprisingly impact on the Codman house interiors. That said, it's quite possible to recreate the past, thanks to original plans and scattered details surviving here and there. First item of note on the original first floor plan is the porte cochere. This was really an entrance for autos, complete with curb cut at street-side and, at the opposite end of an open courtyard, a garage with turntable and two parking slots. One of those slots doubled as a lift, which enabled the chauffeur (expected in that era to be both driver and mechanic) to get underneath the car. Also on the first floor was a reception room (labeled 'living room,' which it wasn't), and the main kitchen and servants' dining room. A dumbwaiter in an adjacent pantry carried food to the main dining room on the second floor. The elevator was (and still is) located in a small lobby between the main stair and the entrance to the kitchen suite. Except for the reception room and the main stair, everything else on the first floor was blown out in the Sixties. If it weren't for the garbage cans, fire escape, storage shed and basketball hoop, you could drive a car through here today. The windows behind the hoop replaced the original garage door. The images below are views of the courtyard from a vantage point now located somewhere in the middle of the prewar coop at 1150 Fifth Avenue. Codman's kitchen was at the bottom of the semi-circular bay; his dining room directly above it. The third floor was divided between the owner's private rooms in front, a sort of private living room in the middle, and a string of servants' rooms in back. The fourth floor housed guests and an office in front, and more servants in the back. The pioneering history of tony New York real estate is nothing new, a fact illustrated by tenement laundry literally flapping against Mr. Codman's back wall. Let's return to the porte cochere and step inside. If you were arriving for some big "do," you'd progress in stately fashion straight up the grand stair to the second floor. If you were dropping something off, or there for a quick meeting, or if Mr. Codman had no idea who you were, the butler would direct you to the reception room and there you'd wait. Industrial carpeting, Danish modern furniture upholstered in tomato can red and hanging globe lights from the 1960s tend to obscure Codman's beautiful proportions and subtle wall treatments. Beyond today's blue doors was the original kitchen suite, now a classroom. Further on was the garage. You really get the measure of this house - it's got 15,000 square feet - as soon as you get to the second floor. The old butler's pantry and servant hall have been combined into a new institutional kitchen, but otherwise the original pan is intact. After decamping to Paris in 1920, Codman rented 7 East to a couple of swell tenants, among them, for a brief period, Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Tree. In 1944 Tree's ex-wife, who in 1948 became Nancy Lancaster, bought Colefax & Fowler, the famous decorating firm that gave us the English country house look. "I had learned from going to Houghton," Ms. Lancaster wrote, "that to make a room quiet, to make it harmonious, you never wanted to have only one 'mouvement' thing like the Savonnerie rug that would stand out. You must have 'mouvement' everywhere." Now those are words I'd like to live by. The library, letting onto that balcony with the enigmatic railing, is in front overlooking 96th Street. In 1924 Codman sold 96th Street to socialite E. Oliver Iselin, who used it as a city house before renting and finally selling it in 1927. More tenants of the high society persuasion ensued, culminating with Richard Allen Knight, a deranged lawyer who in 1942 threatened a judge, got himself disbarred and served 3 months in a workhouse. At the beginning of January, 1948, according to the "New York Times," the 49-year-old Knight died of "general visceral congestion" (you tell me what that is) in his home at 7 East 96th St. The butler found the body. I don't think he found it in the dining room, which lies behind the door below. Oh, how beautiful that dining room was - and could be again today. The Nippon Club, incidentally, left the house pretty shopworn, but mostly intact. Outside the dining room, a fragment of wall tile identifies the vanished serving pantry, once connected by dumb waiter to the kitchen below. A cafeteria kitchen now occupies the footprint of the former butler's pantry and servant hall. Let's return to the second floor landing and head upstairs. It's one thing to access major public rooms with a sweeping marble staircase, but quite another to reach private areas of the house on floors above. It is, in fact, a canon of Edith and Ogden's "Decoration of Houses" that private areas be reached via private stairs, neither architecturally obvious nor tempting to visitors or unwanted guests. Two doors open discreetly onto the private stair at 7 East 96th; one from the library and the other from the second floor landing. Of Mr. Codman's sophisticated plan for the third, or owner's, floor, virtually nothing remains. The owner's suite in the front, misleadingly labeled on the old plan as a pair of bedrooms, has been inelegantly repartitioned. The smaller room has been made bigger, the bigger room smaller. A beautiful stone mantlepiece is no longer centered on its wall. The original bathrooms have, of course, been either eliminated or altered beyond recognition. And yet, tantalizing clues remain - a window detail, a wall of old bathroom tiles, a radiator cover. As already noted, the sitting room in the middle of the 3rd floor was likely a private living room or study, or possibly a more personal library. Expanded and re-purposed in the 1960s, it's become the school library. An unusable terrace was enclosed as part of the expansion. Servants' rooms on the back of this floor have been combined into a large classroom. The service stair, which hasn't changed at all, may be convenient, but I'm a private stair kind of a guy. Even less of the original 4th floor remains. Guests and probably Codman's stepsons were billeted up here. Judging from the adding machine, card files and organized tabletop litter in the vintage view below, Codman also kept an office on 4. What's been done to this room seems more than gratuitous. Much was lost in the 1960s to now discredited architectural conceits. Save for this room and the one next door, nothing else remains of the original floor plan. The private stair continues to 5, for which I do not have a plan. I'd guess there was personal storage at this end of the house. The service stair in the back ended at a little chauffeur's penthouse. Can we talk? How cool is that penthouse? Safe to say that, for such a place atop a mansion off Fifth, many a pied a terre hunter would, put simply, kill. Penthouse and storage were originally separated by an open terrace, now filled with a school addition. Of course I went to the roof, gazed down at the filled-in terrace on 5, then at 96th Street below the dormers. I didn't take the service stairs, but descended in style via private and ceremonial flights. In 1929 Codman bought a rundown villa in Villefranche-sur-Mer called La Leopolda, resurrecting it with such lavishness that he could barely afford to live there. An amusing story concerns efforts by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to rent the place, but only subject to certain alterations. Codman responded briskly to the idea, writing, "I regret that the House of Codman is unable to do business with the House of Windsor." Leopolda guzzled Codman's funds - reduced significantly in the wake of the stock market crash - and even, to his posthumous shame, soaked up a sizable chunk of his stepsons' inheritance. He survived the war better than most, treated with courtesy by Nazi officers billeted at his Chateau de Gregy. Let me end our visit to 7 East 96th Street with Harper Pennington's portrait of a nude blond youth, inscribed on the back, "To Ogden Codman, 1901." For a painting that's only a foot and half tall, it has a lot of message.
From modernist houses to coastal retreats, the choice for going all-white on house exteriors have given homeowners the bright makeover they needed for their homes. White will always be a top choice for house colors
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In a bedroom community with smaller properties, an addition can increase the value of your house, says Gerald Barrett, an agent with Christopher J. Barrett Realtors in Wakefield. “I don’t think you’d get 100 percent of your money back,” he says, “but maybe 75 percent, and your house won’t sit on the market for long.” Building an addition can seem like a daunting prospect--especially if you plan to do some of the work yourself or even act as your own general contractor. Here, what you need to know to get started.
Keep these 5 things in mind when building a custom home! Discussing our new construction process, helpful ideas when building a custom home, & challenges.
A couple who are not designers took on the remodel of an 1863 Haarlem mansion in need of reviving. See the before and aft.
TV historian Lucy Worsley tells us how great historical royal palace Hampton Court (where she happens to have her office) inspired her book Eliza Rose, which is set in Henry VIII’s Tudor Court
If you want to see how new homes were designed back in the rock 'n' roll and 'Leave it to Beaver' era, we have some fantastic '50s house plans for you!
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It is so cozy.
Many of our oak frame projects involve whole house frames which form a unique, new build home for our clients in the UK.
Boss Lane House, in Buckinghamshire, was owned by Brigadier-General Sir Harold Hartley, a friend of Churchill. It has now gone on the market for £1.995 million.
There are a lot of people saying "I have heard somehow about the style of residence" such as "Tudor style" "colonial style", but I do not really understand the detailed difference actually. So I will explain the historical evolution of the architectural style of American houses and how each architectural style is different in an easy to understand explanation.
Farrow & Ball’s colour curator Joa Studholme has applied her talents to her own 19th-century schoolhouse in rural Somerset, using carefully chosen hues to emphasise its lofty ceilings and complement her existing furniture.
From clearing debris to picking the right kind of roofing material, here is everything you need to know about home wildfire protection.
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Let's see who you get......
In designing his own home The Block Glasshouse winner and interior architect proves black can lift and create interest like no other ‘colour’.
Congrats on deciding to build your new home. There are many items to consider to find and build your future dream home. Go through my free tips and home building checklist for building a new house to help you get into your dream home.
John F. Kennedy previously lived in the Washington D.C. abode with his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, from 1949 to 1951
Looking for a new home can be STRESSFUL. Trying to find one in a location you love, a price range that you can afford, and style that you love can feel nearly impossible. It needs a backyard for the kids, a window above the kitchen sink, and (hopefully) doesn’t need a lot of work.
This is a PDF Plan available for Instant Download. One bedroom, 1 bath home with cooktop. Sq. Ft: 555 (384 1st, 171 2nd) Building size: 16'-0" wide, 34'-6" deep (including porch & steps) Main roof pitch: 2/12 Ridge height: 20' Wall heights: 8' Foundation: CMU blocks Lap siding For the reverse plan, please see Model 2. PLANS INCLUDE: Elevations Exterior / Interior Dimension Plan Floor / Ceiling Framing Plan Roof Framing Plan Cross Section Door & Window Schedule Lighting Plan Ideas for modifications An estimated materials list for the doors, windows, and general wood framing. You are purchasing the PDF file for this plan. Print it out whenever you like, as many times as you like. Plan prints to 1/4" = 1' scale on 24" x 36" paper. For more plans, visit my website: https://sites.google.com/site/excellentfloorplans/ CUSTOM PLANS: Unfortunately I'm unable to do custom plans at this time. DISCLAIMER: These plans were produced by myself and were not prepared by nor checked by a licensed architect and/or engineer. I do not represent nor imply myself to be a licensed architect and/or licensed engineer. Enjoy these plans but use them at your own discretion.
Also known as the Prairie Box, the American foursquare is considered to be a true American style home. Economical, resource-efficient, and practical, foursquare homes can be seen in almost every US state as well as throughout Canada. It can safely be said that foursquares are the most common and popular house styles in America, providing comfortable housing for growing middle-class families. Being one of the most widely built homes of the early 20th century, the American foursquare is everyone’s favorite for a number of reasons. In this article, learn all about the history of American foursquares, their main characteristics, and the reasons for their popularity.
Homes for sale are in short supply in many cities, making it important to shop smart. Here's how to buy a house in today's seller's market.
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What a deal! Love the setting for this house. Great landscaping and how about that pond! The Crawford Place was built in 1890. It is located on 12.5 acres in Lyerly, Georgia. The home features a wrap around porch, a screened in back porch, hardwood floors, wood walls, transom windows, mantels and crown molding. There is a tile roof and pocket doors. This home is being sold with ALL of the contents. There is a large spring fed pond on the property. Five bedrooms, one bathroom, and 2,640 square feet. $249,000 Contact Patti Everett with Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage From the Zillow listing: This classic is for YOU! Known as the ‘Crawford Place,’ this historic home was built in 1890. The QUALITY of construction is visible in all the original features: moldings, pocket doors, floor-to-ceiling windows, ‘widow’s walk,’ and pine floors. The tile roof should last forever. There’s also a renovated shed built into the mountainside behind the house. What joy you’ll have decorating for holidays! Enjoy the peace of watching the clear, spring-fed pond from your screened porch or front porch. House sits on approximately 2.5 acres; 9 additional acres across street. All acreage totaling 12.5 acres, […]
How to Build a House? Use this handy list of things to consider when building your new home as a checklist for discussions with family and contractors.
