Northwest Style: Interior Design and Architecture in the Pacific Northwest

by Ann Wall Frank, Michael H. Mathers (Photographs)

The rugged beauty of the Pacific Coast has spawned a style that is informal yet modern, organic yet refined. Northwest Style, now in paperback, brings to light the spirit and diversity of this region's architecture and decor, as demonstrated in dozens of distinctive homes in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Northwest style is notable for its extraordinary blend of influences, including modernism and Japanese architecture. While the styles vary, a sensitivity to the environment and a desire to accentuate the natural beauty of the region lie at the heart of almost every design. Color photographs celebrate each structure's unique features, highlight architectural and decorative details, and show the surrounding landscape. Full of inspiring ideas, "Northwest Style belongs in the must-have category" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer).

204 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers of shelter magazines will be familiar with the format of these 30 stories about modest, custom homes in the Pacific Northwest and the laid-back lifestyle they afford their owners. The book begins with a poetic description of coastal life recognizable to residents from Northern California to Southern Alaska, but the author's obvious focus is on Portland, Oregon. Almost two-thirds of the houses in the book are in or near Portland. Her description of the development of a regional architectural style in the mid-20th Century is illustrated with "early modern classics by five masters," all of them from Portland, as are all seven of the named second generation architects. Seattle's Thiry, Kirk, and Terry "helped to adapt the International style to the Northwest," but none of their projects are presented. The collaboration of contemporaries in the Bay Area and Vancouver, BC, in creating the famed modernist style of the Northwest is unmentioned. So the focus here is narrow, despite the broad, region-embracing title.

Similarly curious is that only half of the homes presented could be construed as even tangentially expressive of the modernism usually associated with the term `Northwest Regionalism' and suggested by the cover photo and first chapter. Noteworthy among these are houses by George Suyama, James Cutler, and Patkau Architects (the only Canadian entry), and these are spectacular. Instead the emphasis is on eclecticism with Arts & Crafts, Cape Cod, Japanese, Art Moderne, Post Modern, and even lodge styles all present. The common threads are purportedly the use of natural materials and proximity to nature, but even these themes are frequently undercut, especially in the chapter on urban loft living. A `Northwest style' not centered on modernism fails to cohere.

[Raiveran Rabbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the pictures in this book. Since I moved to the Northwest, the style here has captured me. Broad floors, wooden girders, the unapologetic lush greenery, the overall effect is one of space, quiet and cleanliness. Pick it up and look through it, especially if you don't like in the Pacific Northwest.