Ray Kappe's Rustic Canyon house

DavidC · Post by **DavidC** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 7:37 am

Landmark Houses: Ray Kappe's wood and glass retreat

David

hypnoraygun · Post by **hypnoraygun** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:39 am

Wow! Thank you TnGuy for posting that. I really enjoy this place!

Deke · Post by **Deke** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:38 am

Toured that house once and thought...man what a bitch to keep clean. All those nooks and crannies collecting spider webs. All those windows to wash. How far modernism has come from the work of Irving Gill, who focused so much on ease of maintenance.

DK

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:05 am

Space -- lovingly captured and simultaneously released.

How can we not love it ?

S

Wrightgeek · Post by **Wrightgeek** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 12:15 pm

Among those in the know, Ray Kappe is held in high esteem, but he is often overlooked by the general public in the discussion of great MCM architects. This is unfortunate, as he deserves more recogniton and credit for his unique brand of California MCM design. Hopefully his star will continue to rise.

RA · Post by RA » Sat Jan 22, 2011 1:13 pm

Wonderful house.

The end of the bench where the books are appears to be in the fireplace, yikes!

Don't forget to use the up arrow to see the rest of the front of the house.

Would like to see the house without the owner's belongings as some aspects of the architecture appeared a bit busy. I was wondering if it was the stuff. Great house though...

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 1:49 pm

I love the combination and restriction of materials: concrete, redwood and glass. In that sense, and also spatially, this house continues the ideas of the Rudolf Schindler Kings Road house.

Perfection...

m.perrino · Post by **m.perrino** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 2:34 pm

Tn Guy : thanks for posting. i was fortunate to tour this house in 1991 with a group of guides from T-West, and led by former apprentice, Tom Peyton.
The Kappe house was both home and architectural office. My remembered impression was that the multi level openness created a dizzy sense of environment. This was organic blown wide open. I had to steady myself as I walked.

The Kappe brothers do not get the respect or attention they so rightly deserve.

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:10 pm

Kappe's use of wood is unpretentious, not at all precious, as so many other architects' work is. I wonder about the reredos of what(?) cast iron? Does it really prevent smoke from discoloring the wall, or is there an ever-present can of white paint to redo the wall every spring?

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 5:50 pm

I wasn't aware of Ray Kappe's brother. Are you referring to the sons of Ray, Ron and Finn Kappe?

Deke · Post by **Deke** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 6:06 pm

Kappe came along after peak of the trend, when hiring an architect became too expensive for the average middle class person. Koenig was another one, and neither enjoyed the quantity of output and chance to experiment that the previous generation did.

Deke

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 6:42 pm

I toured this house about ten years ago, on a Karen Bergenthal LA tour, and it was wonderfully open and fabulous... and yes...somewhat dizzying. Ray, himself, gave us the tour and I remember telling him, as we were leaving, that he was a genius.

m.perrino · Post by **m.perrino** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:22 pm

peterm: yes, I miswrote - brother for his sons....

mdgraham · Post by **mdgraham** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 6:29 pm

Thank you for this. I envy those of you who had walk-thrus.
He is still in practice at 83. What an inspiration.

http://www.kappedu.com/RayKappe.html

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Ray Kappe's Rustic Canyon house

Ray Kappe's Rustic Canyon house

Ray Kappe House