Architect Ken Tate Reinvents Historical Style
Every once in a while an architect comes along whose work is inspiring and something I understand a great deal from. Sometimes it’s using materials. Sometimes it’s the architect’s ability to shape space in a meaningful manner. Sometimes it’s the ability to manipulate light. And if you think that yours truly is learning from his contemporaries, rest assured, I’m not. Others, such as Oscar Wilde and Pablo Picasso, have said that great artists copy while good ones steal. Therefore, I’m definitely working on getting great!
A recent discovery has been the work of architect Ken Tate. While Tate’s work has many admirable qualities, it is his ability to craft amazing houses in a selection of historical styles that stands out.
What do we learn from these gorgeous houses? Let’s find out.
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The assortment of Tate’s style is incredible. Whether he’s designing a home inspired by tropical design …
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… a home that would be comfortable in the South or …
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… a country manor house, it is inspiring to see the interest given to authentic forms, details and shapes.
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Just because a space is a back entrance, maybe out to the garden and lawn, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be beautiful.
Surely, this area’s durable materials — gloomy stone floors and horizontal lap siding — may hold their own against an onslaught of muddy boots and backpacks. But while those materials are practical, the tall windows and the French doors give an abundance of light and elegance.
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Who doesn’t like a sweeping, curving bridal staircase which drains from floor to floor? A gorgeous staircase is a good stage set for all those moments in life when we celebrate together, make it prom, homecoming or wedding.
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An entrance foyer doesn’t need to be double elevation and using a sweeping, curving bridal staircase to be tasteful and rather handsome. In reality, the stairs doesn’t — and probably more often than not, shouldn’t — start at the front door. After all, these stairs require us to the personal quarters of the home, so being somewhat removed from the main entrance door may be a good thing.
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What is especially nice about those inspired designs is the fresh and updated way of the style’s speech. Just as some other architects, from Palladio to Jefferson to now, have learned from and reinvigorated the classical speech, so also has Tate.
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In the same manner as the exteriors, the insides are new reinterpretations of historical styles. By way of example, windows aren’t just staged openings in a wall but expanses of glass which reach from floor to ceiling and corner to corner. You can’t get more modern than that.
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And walls are load-bearing elements. Treated as a very simple plane that separates two rooms, this wall looks as a lightweight screen that may slide to and fro. Again, the interior could not be more modern in its sense of light and space.
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Even when using what are the most rigid of styles, classical, the exploitation of interior space is nothing if not modern. Layering, as here, creates the sense that the space in the foreground is set within a large room that is connected and open to each room around it a room that’s both open and different at the same time.
Have a look at A Classical Journey — The Homes of Ken Tate if you want to Find out More about Ken Tate and his home designs. The book is filled with page after page of amazing homes which are a inspiration for all.