When I was a small child, I had the incredible opportunity to run around and play ‘hide & seek’ in the Westhope House, a Frank Lloyd Wright designed & constructed home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Wright built this home for his cousin, Richard Lloyd Jones, the founder and publisher of the Tulsa Tribune newspaper. A unique design feature is its alternating columns of glass and concrete block walls. Westhope is one of the largest Wright residences boasting over 10,000 square feet with five fireplaces, a five-car garage and huge driveway. It wraps around a courtyard with a swimming pool, separate guest quarters and service wing and is built on a corner lot, making it very visible from the street on two sides. This home is viewed by some as the beginning of Wright’s Usonian period which was characterized by the usage of common, natural materials in smaller, more affordable and less-ornate homes; which is ironic given the fact that this home is quite large, ornate, and was very expensive to build.
I can remember ducking behind a planter in one of these windows as a child to hide… Innocence told me no one would see me in a 3-sided glass alcove.
Since I have seen this home from the inside, I can envision how I would decorate it today. I know exactly what I would do in the sunken living room and how I would utilize all the windows within this home. The mid-century modern aesthetic of the home would be juxtaposed by my love of traditional design.
I was flipping through interior designs on Pinterest this week, looking for inspiration for Friday Favorites when I came across the picture below. This is exactly how I picture the interior of this home in my mind… It was as if someone had ripped my vision straight out of my dreams.
Upon investigation, I learned that this gorgeous room is from the personal home of architect/designer Ray Booth. I also learned that Mr. Booth is an Auburn alumni making him a doubly-awesome find for me! Please enjoy this excerpt from LaDolce Vita blog:
Ray Booth is an interior designer and partner at McAlpine, Booth & Ferrier, which has gained a reputation as one of the most highly sought-after and lauded design firms in the country, and in particular, the South. The firm is known for creating a very identifiable point of view– one that seamlessly blends old-world style and time honored materials with a modern sensibility. Opting for rich, saturated neutrals in favor of bright colors, their interiors imbue classic, comfortable settings with drama and glamour while their architecture features a distinct combination of reverence for the past and a modern sensibility. You can usually spot their architecture because the homes they design usually bear the hallmark of stunning, soaring windows.
Ray is a native of Alabama and a graduate of the Auburn University School of Architecture. Upon graduation, Ray headed to New York where he worked for the legendary John Saladino. Eventually, Ray returned to his southern roots, joining his former professor, Bobby McAlpine in the founding of McAlpine, Booth & Ferrier. Ray currently divides his time between the firm’s New York office and his home in Nashville. His dual-residency has informed his point of view and gives him a unique insight into the needs of his clients, regardless of their geographic location.
Architectural Digest also did a cover piece on Mr. Booth. His home, sitting on top of a mountain, overlooking Nashville is ‘a spatially inventive three-story residence that recalls the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Purcell & Elmslie, and their Prairie School brethren, though stretched high instead of wide.’
I spent my early childhood in Tulsa. Check out my Happiness Challenge post for today to read more about my childhood and my early memories there.
Wow! Love the pictures!!!!!!!
You have to send this one too!!!!!