Tag Archives: landscaping

modern ‘hood: lavista park, atlanta

02.18.15

LaVista Park may have bumped Northcrest as my favorite atomic neighborhood in Atlanta. Why? Location, location, location! While Northcrest has more Brady Bunch-style ranches per block, it’s up in the sleepy suburb of Doraville. LaVista Park, sandwiched between busy Briarcliff and Cheshire Bridge Roads, is a short drive or bike ride to some of the best restaurants, shops, and parks in central Atlanta. Here are 8 midcentury and contemporary abodes that caught my eye on an afternoon drive. All photos were taken by me while standing on public property.

click to see 5 more modern homes!

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modern ‘hood: cliff may’s rancho estates

12.02.14

Design, Travel

If I ever build a house, I’ll drop a stack of Cliff May home photos on my architect’s desk for inspiration. In southern California, May was a pioneer of building characteristics that we think of today as the hallmarks of midcentury modern ranches — clean lines, open floor plans, and an indoor-outdoor feel. So on a recent trip to Los Angeles for Andrea’s work, we spent an afternoon in Long Beach cruising May’s Rancho Estates tract neighborhood, built in 1953-54.

The Rancho homes have opaque facades and high privacy fences that reveal little about their interiors. If you’re ~~nosy~~ curious like I am, you can mine real estate sites such as Rancho Style for photos of light-soaked rooms, swanky pools, and lush courtyards. Although I had to imagine what modern treasures lay beyond the walls, I gleefully shot the sculptural plants, rock gardens, colorful gates, and vintage cars visible from the street. Unless otherwise noted, all photos were taken by me from public property.

click for 6 more home photos

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curvy new landscape for our boxy lustron

10.13.14

Design

For nine years, our Lustron has needed curb appeal like leafy greens need ranch. Last month we worked with Plants Creative Landscapes here in Decatur to finally put some “ranch dressing” on our bland front yard.

Lustron home before landscape makeover; photo by finelycrafted.net — Scraggly gardenias were hiding the porch, and the linear layout didn’t complement our boxy home.

Landscaping at Lustron home; photo by finelycrafted.net — Curvy beds, sculptural plants, and boulders bring SoCal style!

Since the bones of our ’49 prefab are slick and boxy, we created softness with three curvy beds. Taking inspiration from all those modern landscapes I’ve been ogling on trips to Southern California, I picked a topiary pine, a blue agave, and boulders as my must-have focal points. We filled out the beds with shrubs for year-round color (wintergreen boxwood, variegated yucca, gold mop false cypress), sculptural perennials (variegated iris, autumn ferns), vivid grasses (blue fescue, dwarf acorus, silver liriope), and cascaders for the retaining wall (chartreuse creeping jenny, pink-flowered phlox). Black bark mulch makes everything pop.

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modern ‘hood: morningside, atlanta

08.27.14

Design, Vintage Style

It’s hard to believe Atlanta’s first Morningside residents were isolated suburbanites who rode a streetcar to work downtown. Today this charming neighborhood is a haven in the heart of the city, surrounded by shopping districts, restaurants, and condos. The typical M’side home was built in the 1920s or 30s out of red brick and stone, with Old World details like arches, leaded glass, and even towers, like this one below.

Home in Morningside, Atlanta; photo by Finely Crafted — In Morningside, a man’s home *literally* may be his castle.

While I love those special châteaux, my heart beats faster for the rarer midcentury and new construction modern homes–sometimes barely glimpsed beyond ivy banks and mature trees–on the hilly streets branching off East Rock Springs Road. They range from humble ranchers to custom contempos worthy of Dwell. Here are 10 of my favorites spotted on yesterday’s afternoon drive. All photos were taken by me from public property.

Modern home in Morningside, Atlanta; photo by Finely Crafted — I toured this 2013 home on Wellbourne Drive as part of Modern Atlanta in June. In contrast to the serious facade, the inside is warm, light soaked, and personal.

Midcentury home in Morningside, Atlanta; photo by Finely Crafted — Genius idea for typography fans

Modern home in Morningside, Atlanta; photo by finelycrafted.net — I like mixing foliage colors in my own yard, but a single green against a neutral facade is beautiful too.

Midcentury modern home in Morningside, Atlanta; photo by Finely Crafted — I like the little courtyard created by this home’s C shape.

Midcentury ranch in Morningside, Atlanta: photo by Finely Crafted — Peachy perfection

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modern ‘hood: northcrest, atlanta

10.15.12

Design, Vintage Style

On a crisp day last week, Andrea and I took a break from our laptop pecking to explore Atlanta’s Northcrest subdivision. This modest midcentury modern neighborhood northeast of the city (zip 30340) is a feast for eyes that hunger for angular abodes and cacti gardens. Here are five homes that made me pull over and consider life in the ‘burbs.