Design, Bitches creates Venice Beach bungalow that shows "resilience of archetypes"

[Celerity]

https://www.dezeen.com/2023/01/25/design-bitches-bungalow-venice-beach/










Architecture studio Design, Bitches has completed a southern California home that takes cues from the traditional beach cottage and is meant to be "not too precious". The B+B House is located in Venice Beach, a coastal town known for its mix of century-old bungalows and experimental contemporary architecture.







"This specific site is nestled on the edge of the famous 'walk streets' of Venice, where small lots are tightly woven together as the city stretches to the Pacific Ocean," said Catherine Johnson, cofounder of LA studio Design, Bitches. Built for creative clients, the house replaces a 1914 dwelling that had fallen into disrepair. A key design goal was to ensure the new home aligned with the character of the original house and the area's bungalows.







For a slender lot sandwiched between houses, the architects conceived a main dwelling and detached guesthouse in the rear. A small yard serves as a "dynamic connection" between the two buildings, while also providing views of the sky and surrounding palm trees. Rising two levels, the main dwelling is roughly rectangular in plan and is topped with a gabled, standing-seam-metal roof. Inserted into the upper portion is a shoebox-shaped bar that reaches toward the guest house. The two-storey guest house has a square plan. The upper level is carved away to form an outdoor terrace.







"By maintaining the integrity and proportion of the traditional Venice Beach bungalow and adding a bar slid through it, the B+B house makes an argument for the resilience of archetypes – playing out juxtaposition in a small house that speaks to both modernist volumes and ways of life," the studio said. Both buildings are clad in raked stucco and non-oiled, thermally modified ash that will turn grey over time. The guest house also features board-formed concrete.

snip

[whathehell]

1. " Resilence of Stereotypes" and Gender slurs too, It seems

Sorry, but I can't imagine patronizing anything containing the word "bitches" in it.

[spooky3]

3. Agree. Looks as if they've borrowed a lot from

FL Wright, too.

[Celerity]

5. It is more a take on Mid-Century California Modern than FLW's Prairie School IMHO

[spooky3]

6. FLW did more than prairie houses. Nt

[Celerity]

8. Of course, and almost all actually built architecture is derivative of some previous styles to

varying degrees.

[spooky3]

15. No one denies that architects influence each other, but FLW

is generally regarded as the greatest influencer. See my response to brush for specific examples of elements in this house that are similar to those in FLW houses, eg, in Oak Park IL and Fallingwater, and to Johnson Wax headquarters in Racine.

[brush]

12. Absolutely. Nothing like FLW.

Light coming in everywhere. Love it.

[spooky3]

14. ??? FLW extensively used glass to invite outdoors in.

He designed open interiors. He frequently used wood in ceilings and emphasized organic elements. He included built in furniture. Look at the photos of this house and check them off.

There are LOTS of influences seen here.

[brush]

17. He designed furnishings, fixtures and frames quite differently.

This home has a completely different feel in my opinion.

[spooky3]

18. IMHO, the influences are obvious. Look at

Photos of Fallingwater, especially the interiors, among many others. It was built in 1937, well before the mid century modern houses, which were also influenced by FLW.

[brush]

21. That's your opinion. Most artists/architects are influenced by others...

especially early in their careers. Subsequently they develop their own recognizable style.

Wright's is Wright's and this home's is that of this particular architect.

My opinion.

[Celerity]

4. I think it is a splendid name, it is witty and empowering, taking back a pejorative and flipping it

on its head via a common LGBTQ (and a black cultural idiom as well, although the 2 owners are white) meme.

If you have issues with it, then perhaps there is a chance you are not a target audience member anyway.

[whathehell]

10. Lol...Really?

Attempts to "take back" perjoratives to neutralize the insult rarely works, imo, and that applies to Black and LGBTQ cultural idioms as well..

I'd say the word "bitches" is about as "empowering" for women as the N-word is for Blacks.

[Celerity]

13. Disagree completely. We seem to come from pretty divergent takes on some core cultural idioms and

modern language and how they affect power dynamics.

As a queer woman of colour, I think I have more than enough cultural experience, gender identity nous, and racially-derived agency to legitimately stake my claims upon.

[whathehell]

16. That's fine.

I just think some of us get it and some of us don't.

[niyad]

24. I am not A Bitch. I am THE Bitch. And to you, I am MS. BITCH. A button that I have

worn for years. My response to people calling me a bitch, or the c-word, or all the other sexist and other pejoratives, at which point I am supposed to curl up in shame: "But. . .you say that like it's a bad thing. " Or, "In order for me to be upset by what you are calling me, two things would have to be true. First, I would have to regard the words as an insult. Second, I would actually have to respect your opinion. Trust me, neither of them obtain."

Yes, I know that my particular mindset does not work for everybody. But I really do not care what most people think of me, certainly not some clueless lackwit, knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing stranger. Words have power, and I choose what power I allow them to have over me. Something I learned from a very early age.

[whathehell]

27. Huh??

I think you have the wrong poster, Niyad, I never called you ANYTHING..Why are you yelling at ME?

[niyad]

28. Not yelling at you. Responding to your response to Celerity about whether or not

us reclaining the word "bitch" is empowering. As I explained, I learned long ago that taking back that word, and others, takes away their power to hurt. Those are, as I guess .I did not make ckear enough, my responses to people who think they can hurt or shame or embarrass with those words.

I am so sorry that it sounded like I was yelling at you. That was absolutely not my intention, and you have certainly not done anything to deserve it.

[whathehell]

29. I understand, Niyad

I hope you got my PM.

[intrepidity]

7. I immediately thought of the "Breaking Bad" reference

Wherein Jesse Pinkman exclaimes "Science, bitches!" -- but I don't know which followed which.

[electric_blue68]

2. Oh, very nice! I really like that stucco & wood panel combo. Love the open...

Living room, kitchen dinning room with that fireplace!

[getagrip_already]

9. not really meant for modern life though....

I can imagine what the place would look like with a family living there. No storage, lots of open floorspace...

Looks good empty, but would be a true mess in real life.

[Celerity]

11. Not everything in life needs to be designed for a trad family, that angle certainly plays no

part in my wife and I choosing things. We are not going to have children, whether via adoption or via a sperm donor being used to impregnate me or her or a surrogate. That was a mandatory foundational tenet of any marriage for both of us, well before we met each other.

[getagrip_already]

20. Maybe so, but if I lived there alone it would still be a mess.....

I am very much not a type a personality. I don't color inside the lines. I don't see the need to keep a room neat as long as it is functional.

That house is the anti-me. I embrace the clutter.

I just chose a family as an example since most people would understand that stuff without a place to go will become clutter.

[Celerity]

22. Fair enough. We are the opposite, very anti clutter, and minimalist in our living design aesthetics.

Judging on the responses I have received here over the years, I can fairly safely predict many on DU would go bonkers in our properties, lolol.

love these examples in terms of style



















etc etc

[progressoid]

19. Love to look at these types of houses but living in one is another issue.

In fact our house has some of these problems. From the outside our house looks pretty cool. Inside is another story!


I've done work in these types of mid century modern homes. They are lovely creations but often impractical.

edited to add: I'd take this over a McMansion any day!

[Coventina]

23. I look at that copper tub and think NIGHTMARE!

How are you supposed to keep something like that clean?

Never use it! That's how!!

The rest of the house is gorgeous. Big no on the copper tub.

[niyad]

25. It is a striking house.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

26. I see trip hazards and lots of glass that likely will be covered up.

Yeah, I know, they're not building it to appeal to me.

[Mosby]

30. What's it worth? nt

[Celerity]

31. pure guess, knowing that area, probably 4-6 million usd, I would need more info to give a better

answer