Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House

by GREGORY, DANIEL P.FLETCHER, JOE

• ISBN13: 9780847830473
• ISBN10: 0847830470
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-03-18
• Publisher: Rizzoli

Summary

Starting in the 1930s, the modern ranch house took the country by storm, migrating from California to Arizona, Colorado, and the east coast. Cliff May perfected, promoted, and popularized this style. He personally designed and built more than 1,000 homes and commercial buildings, and over 18,000 designs are attributed to his office, including Robert Mondavi Winery (1966) and the offices of Sunset Magazine (1951). With their low profile, large carports and garages, patios, and expansive horizontality, May's modern ranch houses became synonymous with the modern lifestyle. Wildly popular during the 1950s and 1960s, Cliff May developed a brand of casually elegant modernity through experimental houses and innovative construction methods. His indoors-outdoors philosophy has profoundly influenced architects and designers for the last seventy years and changed how Americans live

Author Biography

Daniel P. Gregory is Senior Home Editor at Sunset magazine. He has a Ph.D. in architecture from UC Berkeley. Joe Fletcher is a photographer based in the Bay Area with clients that include Wallpaper*, Dwell, and Interior Design magazines.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 16
Introduction	p. 20
California Living	p. 22
Who Was Cliff May	p. 24
Haciendas and Rancherias	p. 28
Cliff May #3	p. 36
Corrals and Cul-de-Sacs	p. 40
Going National	p. 50
May and Sunset	p. 66
Setting the Pattern	p. 68
Pace-Setter House	p. 72
The Pace-setter House	p. 76
Designer vs. Architect	p. 84
Skylight House: Cliff May #4	p. 88
Furnishing and Flexibility	p. 92
Sunset Headquarters	p. 100
The Laboratory of Western Living	p. 102
Wright, Sunset, and "So-called Modern"	p. 115
Long Beach Ranchos	p. 124
Visions and Subdivisions	p. 128
Mandalay: Cliff May #5	p. 160
The Road to Mandalay	p. 164
Theme and Variations	p. 176
Quail Hill	p. 182
Desert House	p. 190
Santa Ynez Valley House	p. 200
Robert Mondavi Winery	p. 210
Bronzewing Farm	p. 220
Rio Bravo Ranch	p. 228
Mondavi House	p. 238
Notes	p. 250
Index	p. 252
Image Credits	p. 253
Acknowledgements	p. 256
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