THE HOUSE THAT ART BUILT: Once upon a time there was a Hollywood art director named Harry Oliver who built a storybook style house in 1921 to serve as offices and dressing rooms for Irving Willat's film studio in Culver City, California. Lopside, pointy, with tiny windows and rambling overgrown gardens, the house now resides in the quaint burg of Beverly Hills where it has become a regular tourist attraction -- though still a private home not open to the public. Throughout the years, the house has been the subject of many urban legends, almost none of which are true. But what is true is that this fantasy house was the product of an artistic imagination and has survived its relocation, various renovations and several owners to delight visitors from around the world who still want to believe in fairy tales and happy endings. STYLE NOTES: Asymmetry, handcrafted rustic materials, imagination and daring to live differently all come together in this wonderful cottage. I doubt there's a straight angle anyway to be found -- which is all the better! FINAL NOTE: Home is where the heart is -- and there is a lot of heart that went into preserving this one-of-a-kind abode throughout the decades.
Build your own storybook house:
http://storybookhomes.com/
http://storybookers.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Storybook-Style-Americas-Whimsical-Twenties/dp/0670893854
Photo by Greg Firlotte
