Trystcraft

Henry P. Glass’ ‘Intimate Island’ plywood drum lounge suite for Deco House, 1966. You may have spotted actor Ryan Reynolds lounging on the same furniture in an episode of Welcome to Wrexham..For sale on our website.

Clear winter days mean lots of sun in this house. Smokey and Pumpkin are soaking it up ☀️

Dunbar for Modern: An excellent and rare angled sectional designed by Edward Wormley. Top notch upholstery by .upholstery with fabric from
All three pieces are labelled and extremely comfortable! 🔥
Available.

Morning light in two homes designed by Norman Carver Jr. Both rooms early 70s.

First look at the Carver residence freed from the bamboo forest that had taken over the back yard. I don’t have a before photo as it would have just been solid bamboo! The closest I have is photo 2. Looking forward to being able to work on the deck and tackle some serious roof issues.

First fire since moving in and it just happens to be on Halloween! The huge metal hood of the Judy house fireplace radiates heat beautifully and the brick looks so good in the firelight. Looking forward to using it lots more this winter. 🔥

Still selling furniture BTW. Apologies if the house restoration posts are getting old! We have lots of new design pieces available on our website so keep checking back.

Spent some time cleaning up the dining area of the Carver house. The room divider storage cabinet was between the dining and living rooms in the original layout but was relocated to screen the entry when the extension was built.

Had some tree work done on our project house this week and it really opened up the view of the 70s addition wing. This is the exterior of the orange carpeted living room in my previous posts. I love the way the engawa floats over the rock garden and architecture offices below.

One of the coolest artifacts from the Carver house so far is this metal sign Norm used to advertise his designs when they were newly built. I saw it in a 1960 photo and was amazed to find it in storage under the stairs. The symbol was one Norm seems to have adopted after visiting Japan and learning of family crests. He even stamped it in books he owned. Note it says designer because he didn’t apply for his architecture license until he began design larger projects that required it.

The Carver house was added onto significantly in the early 70s with a new wing built to the north containing a larger living room and larger architectural office below. (The old living room became the primary bedroom). This new living room is a special space with a longhouse feel with glass ends and Norm’s signature lighting fixture. It looks out on a rock garden to the East. At the far end of the room is a raised conversation area with large fireplace, all clad in rosewood paneling. The fireplace was notably absent from the original house so this filled that void wonderfully. The large ceramic sculptures are by Norm and Joan’s daughter, Cristina. Swipe to see the site plan and Norm’s original sketches for the space.

Since taking possession a week ago we’ve been clearing out the house: Paperwork going back to the 70s, endless packing material and general clutter. The first room I tackled was the old drafting studio (later changed to a family room, hence the built in sofas). You could barely reach the other end of the room at first. I’ve included some photos of the exterior to show how the house has suffered over time with vines climbing the house and how the bamboo had completely taken over, obscuring the view. Lots of work needed as you can see.

Next project! We’re thrilled to be the new owners of Norman and Joan Carver’s 1955 post and beam home in Parkwyn Village, Kalamazoo. The house has been added on to significantly and has some serious deferred maintenance- not to mention being crammed full of a lifetime of possessions- so we have some serious work ahead. Needless to say it’s a dream project that has already yielded some great discoveries. More to come!

Two Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian homes are for sale together in nearby Galesburg, MI. Meticulously restored, these architectural gems are a treat to experience- and I’ve been lucky enough to see and photograph them several times. Their radiant heat concrete floors are the best way to stay warm in winter and the light quality is superb throughout the year. It’s very unusual for multiple homes to be offers together so this is pretty unique. Turn-key Usonians, asking 4.5M. link :

https://www.atproperties.com/23134225/11090-hawthorne-drive-galesburg-michigan-49053-swm