Midcentury Property: What’s Our Type?
Can you help us identify the typeface used in the signage for our house, “CAMBRIA”? As font fiends and typography fans, we’re sorry to say that we’re stumped with this one. Curiously, it very strongly resembles the typeface used for the signage on Grade-II listed Farnley Hey, and we’re very interested to see if there’s...
A Tale of Two Bungalows
Here’s a short tale of two bungalows – both midcentury modern architectural gems, both having reached varying degrees of disrepair, and with interesting common features to their form and situation despite being an ocean apart. One has a compelling before and after story already told… the other’s: still to tell. Bungalow #1, Architect: Arthur Witthoefft...
People In Glass Houses
We continue our Eichler theme here on the Journal with a superb trailer for a very exciting documentary project by California realtor, Monique Lombardelli: “People In Glass Houses – The Legacy Of Joseph Eichler”. Monique became a true Eichler fan when driving along the streets of Sunnyvale for this first time back in 2009 and...
Eichler Experimental: The X-100
Joseph L. Eichler (1900–1974) was a renowned homebuilder, responsible for a number of keystone midcentury-modern developments, or tracts, across California’s Bay Area between 1951–1964, totalling around 11,000 homes in all. Single storey properties, save around 50 or so, these homes were of trademark timber post and beam construction, with soaring flat or gently pitched roofs....
Linotype: The Eighth Wonder of the World
We hold firm that people will always want to smell the ink, feel the paper, turn the page. However, it’s not often that Print as a medium garners praise and attention these days as our communications channels become all the more digital. Here’s one joyous example. The Linotype was the first printing press, an invention...
How to sell a unique property… without an estate agent!
Having lovingly restored and remodelled our bungalow inside and out over a four year period, a combination of running out of space plus craving a fresh challenge put moving firmly on our minds. We’ve always been passionate about property, particular in re-architecting interiors and applying our minimalist, midcentury-inspired aesthetic to the spaces created, but having...
The Renway Type 60A Bungalow
Situated at the heart of Renway’s award-winning Edgcumbe Park Development, 5 Heathermount Drive occupies one of the most commanding plots. One of only ten remaining Type 60/60A bungalows, this modern ‘Ranch-style’ design with its asymmetric roof, picture windows and open-plan living takes clear cues from mid-century Californian homebuilders such as the renowned Joseph Eichler. A...
As Featured in Midcentury Magazine
Back in July 2011 when we launched the marketing campaign for the private sale of our bungalow, we were thrilled and flattered to be approached by Tabitha and Tom, Editor and Aficionado behind Midcentury Magazine — the only UK-based publication for fans and followers of the midcentury movement. It was a real honour when they...
The Fahrenheit 451 Connection
Fahrenheit 451, the temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns, is Ray Bradbury’s “novel of a strange and weird future” depicting a dystopic futuristic society where books are prohibited, and if found, incinerated due to their subversive effect on the public. Eminent cinematographer, François Truffaut chose Edgcumbe Park and its Type 60 Bungalow...
Remodelling the Bungalow
Excitement and trepidation in equal measure, we received the keys to the bungalow on 14th September 2007 armed with energy, vision, and a bulging scrapbook of ideas, samples and sketches, eager to breathe life back into this tired, neglected gem! We set to work immediately removing fixtures, fittings, layers upon layers of wallpaper, out-of-keeping decorative...
Renway: Banning the British Box
From the Edgcumbe Park archives, the original Renway Sales Advertisements as placed in the Times, the Observer, Daily & Sunday Telegraph, airline gazettes and others as shown. Wonderful language and descriptions helped add extra panache to entice buyers: ‘unashamed class’ and ‘houses for the go-ahead… and arrived’ and to add to Renway’s ‘campaign against conformity.’...
Edgcumbe Park: A Midcentury Development of the Future
Founded in 1955 by Athelstan Whaley, the Renway Construction Company produced a small number of housing developments in the South East of England driven by a passion for quality of construction, innovative design and customer satisfaction. A small, family owned business, it created around 30 homes per year over its 40 year span, remaining little-known...
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