Chemosphere
Throughout history many men and women have made their mark in their branch of business but only few of them made it all the way to heaven and John Lautner was certainly one of them.
The mid century modern artist had a perfect childhood, surrounded by books, music, art and nature. This perfect environment gave a decisive contribution in order to expand John’s mind and it shows up in every single work he’s done.
Elrode house
Having graduated with a degree in liberal arts in 1933, he was encouraged by his mother to apply for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Fellowship, being admitted that same year. He worked under Wright for six years, practicing the idea of learning by doing. Following his childhood filled with literature and music, he gained firsthand experience with stone work, steam fitting and carpentry. Just like in any other area, understanding the process behind architecture and construction gave invaluable contribution to his development as an architect.
Silvertop residence
In the late 30’s, John left Taliesin to work in some of Wright’s projects but not long after that he felt ready to go on and build his own path. He then went to LA to establish a practice.
More than 100 of Lautner’s design were realized, including commercial buildings, offices, schools, places of worship, theaters and motels but he really excelled in residential designs, and that’s what made him one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. The majority of John’s work can be found in southern California, though he also did some creations in Mexico.
The highlights of his career are located in LA area. First of all, Chemosphere. This residence, built in Hollywood in 1960, is an icon of Mid Century Modern residential architecture and it was featured in the movie “Body Double”. Almost as iconic as Chemosphere, the Garcia residence, one of the several residences that Lautner built on Mulholland Drive, it’s also known as the “Rainbow House”.
Rainbow House
Evidently a special man and artist, even today common people and the ones in the business are still amazed by the ability to blur the line between home and habitat, making John Lautner’s work so mesmerizing.
Wastrom House
