It is Summer, so hopefully you have some time off where you can sit back and relax poolside or on the beach with a good book! If you are into MCM design and love to read (like me!), then here is list of suggested reading. I have read all of these books and thoroughly enjoyed them all. And, if your time by the pool or on the beach is rained out, most of these books have been made into movies. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, by Sloan Wilson, 1955. The book offers insight into the postwar American Dream and the burgeoning material culture of the 1950s.  It was also made into a movie in 1956 starring Gregory Peck. The movie is just as good as the book. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, 1961. Perhaps not the most positive view of the suburbs on the 1960s - but certainly captures the time period. In 2008, it was made into a movie. While the movie does differ from the book, it is successful in capturing the essence of the time and the intention of the author. The...

Today, when one thinks of a luxury house, often an extremely large and imposing structure comes to mind. Usually this house is clad in expensive stone and designed to look castle-like. The opulence of the house is made very apparent from its exterior. Rothwell Heights Near Island Park Faircrest Heights. Notice the small bungalow next door. Rockcliffe Park In the mid-century, luxury homes were more subdued, and often just larger versions of the same tract houses found elsewhere in the city. Luxurious bungalows were often just larger and more sprawling than the typical suburban house. Side-splits looked near identical to smaller versions, only differing in size.   Island Park Drive Bel-Air Heights Arlington Woods Arlington Woods Drive down any street in Faircrest Heights, and you will see excellent examples of the understated facades of MCM luxury houses. This house was for sale earlier this year, and is actually quite large. This large bungalow is currently...

Between 1947 and 1974 the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), formerly Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation, published regular floor plan books of small houses suitable to be built in Canada. Blueprints could be ordered for the architect-designed plans, and examples of the built houses can be found throughout Ottawa. There are so many interesting plans that were available through the CMHC, so this is only the first posting with some of my favourites. If you recognise any of these designs that have been built in Ottawa (or elsewhere in Canada), please feel free to share the location with me! I have always been a fan of the butterfly roof! Although there are no front facing windows on the above design, the cedar shake cladding makes for a very interesting facade. The architect was based out of Kanata, and I could easily see this house fitting into the natural landscape of Beaverbrook - although I don't think it was actually built there.  The central atr...