Underneath the Mistletoe

Merry Christmas

Seasons Greetings

Happy Holidays

Decorating with mistletoe at Christmas is a custom that has survived from pre-Christian traditions that believed the branches had magical powers.  Kissing under the mistletoe was associated with the Greek festival of Saturnalia and later, primitive marriage rites.  In 18th century England, a woman standing under mistletoe at Christmas could not refuse to be kissed;  sometimes this signified lasting friendship, but sometimes it meant a promise of marriage.  In the United States today, a kiss under the mistletoe is just a symbol of goodwill (or a sign of too much egg nog).

Mistletoe (Phoradendron flavescens is the native North American variety) can grow on its own, but it is usually seen in the South as a parasitic plant growing on the trunk and branches of a tree, its roots taking nutrients from the tree.  While the European variety rarely grows on oak trees, it is not unusual here;  apple trees are universally accommodating hosts.  Bulk mistletoe sells for about US $15 per pound, but it is usually sold by the sprig for a few dollars.

The Altos Del Mar historic district.

This past year, John Tackett Design was commissioned for a preliminary study to design a new oceanfront house to be built in Miami Beach, Florida.  7825 Atlantic Way is one of the few remaining lots zoned for a single family residence with direct ocean access, along with numbers 7709, 7715, and 7833.  Atlantic Way is a private street in the small historic district Altos Del Mar, the highest point (a relative term of course) on the island of Miami Beach.  The gated community of only twelve properties has homes ranging from Art Deco to Ultra-Contemporary with Spanish, Bermuda, and Florida Vernacular included as well.  The low density neighborhood is protected from further oceanfront high-rise development with North Shore Park immediately to the north and the new Altos Del Mar Sculpture Park to the south.  Cultural attractions, fashionable restaurants, and luxury shops are only minutes away.

The private individual who commissioned this preliminary design asked for a house in the classical tradition, yet respectful of the tropical location.  The round entrance hall, illustrated in the first image, adapted and reused with the kind permission of my client, features Regency style palm trees and a compass patterned floor.  The 8,000 sq. ft. house with six bedrooms and eight bathrooms would be built in the manner evocative of early twentieth century architects such as David Adler and Delano & Aldrich, yet having every modern technological convenience.  In association with an assembled group of experienced professionals, John Tackett Design provides a team for a full range of services for architecture, engineering, interiors and landscape design for classic residences, new construction or renovation, nationwide.

A view of the beach from the Altos Del Mar prospectus.

Nonesuch House, Smaller Version



A Detail of the Preliminary Design for Nonesuch House by John Tackett Design.

 The owner of Nonesuch House, a new residence designed by John J. Tackett, originally wanted it to be built of stone with a slate roof.  The change to handmade brick and a standing seam copper roof is a story that would not be of interest to the readers of The Devoted Classicist, nor would the reasoning behind the increase from 5,000 to 8,500 square feet.  (Well, they might find it interesting as the process of home building, but it is too personal for this public venue).  However, it is thought that this preliminary scheme, smaller than the final version, would be of some interest.  The previous post showed the initial presentation of the proposed house in a bird's eye view.  This preliminary design, a quick 1/8" scale free-hand series of drawings showing all the floor plans and exterior elevations, was prepared for approval before commencing the construction drawings.  As the plan was beginning to be developed, I added a shallow vestibule at the main entrance (to be changed in the construction drawings for the larger house to a projecting pavilion with an entrance porch) and a fireplace at the end of the Living Room which occupied the angled wing on the left, a match to a Guest Bedroom not seen on the right.  (The fireplace was located on the long rear wall of the Living Room in the final plan, not visible in the photo of the previous post).

The Rear of Nonesuch House, a new residence by John Tackett Design, as shown in a preliminary drawing for approval.

Another hallmark of new houses by John Tackett Design is that all exterior elevations have architectural significance.  In this case, a wild forest immediately beyond the house prevents any long distance view of the exterior faces of the house, but it would still be seen up close.  While the functions of the interior were given preference over exterior symmetry here, the rear of the house held its own, none the less.  (In the larger scheme, the Master Bedroom occupies a whole final wing of the house above a screened outdoor living room with a fireplace).

A proposal for a latticed terrace above the service court at Nonesuch House by John Tackett Design.

In the previous post showing the service court on the north side of the house, a long narrow terrace tops the covered entrance to the double garage.  French doors lined a passage outside the Dining Room and I had originally feared that service vehicles might be in view in the court below, so I proposed a lattice screen for that terrace.  This lattice also shows in my exterior sketch of the area in the September 6, 2011, post.  As soon as the framing went up, however, it was realized that these concerns over sight lines were unfounded and the lattice was not needed.

Many have commented that the preliminary designs for my new houses and renovations are as interesting as the final schemes, so it is hoped that readers of The Devoted Classicist also find this to be the case.

Nonesuch House

The initial proposal for Nonesuch House, a new residence in Nashville, Tennessee,

 by John Tackett Design.

Several years ago, John Tackett Design was commissioned to design a new house in Nashville, Tennessee, for a single woman moving back to the city of her birth after living abroad for some time.  The client had purchased a 1970s contemporary house with an indoor swimming pool solely for the lot;  although the house was designed by one of Nashville's leading architects, it was one of the ugliest and poorest designed houses imaginable.  My interview for the commission was held at the house shortly before it was demolished so I could see the site, a forested hilltop with no neighbors within view.  A steep drive scissored up the hill, building anticipation, only to be confronted with the face of the garage at the end of the long, narrow house.  To the side, the front door and kitchen door were adjacent and only slightly varying in design importance.  Inside, it only got worse.  The client had definite ideas of what room was to go where on the limited building site to maximize the light and views at specific times of day, and wanted a formal yet somewhat casual design that had a strong French influence. 

A new Gatehouse that also provides lodging for a caretaker matches the architectural details and materials of the main house.

I love a challenge, and came up with the design shown in the ariel view of the leading sketch of this post that was immediately accepted.  The scope changed a bit along the process and grew from 5,000 square feet to 8,500 (which is another story in itself).  The house, designed to be light and airy since privacy was not an issue, ended up being decorated as a dark, introspective retreat.  Although intended to be comfortable for the single occupant, it was also to be able to accomodate 200 for cocktails.  The client did not want an ostentatious house, so only a portion of the house is visible on entry into the courtyard and the rest of the house is not revealed until the visitor progresses through the sequence of interior spaces.  Because of the restrictions of the site, the full size of the house is apparent only from the Service Entrance, not visible by the typical guests.  The heavily forested site makes photography difficult, but the house was featured in a creatively written chapter (with the owner's name changed) in the book A House in the South with those photographs reproduced here.

John Tackett Design's sketch for the service entrance to Nonesuch House, Nashville.
Since this side of the house is viewed by the owner on a daily basis, it was given architectural interest.

To down-play the formality of the house, the stairs were relatively modest and located in a hallway adjacent to the Entrance Hall, an octagon with mirrored doors that opened to closets and a passage to the service area.  All of the floors, including the Kitchen, were made of salvaged wood planks except for the bathrooms and the Stair Hall which was a last minute change to stone tile by the client's best friend/decorator.

The Stair Hall with the Entrance Hall beyond.
The canape was relocated for the photo.

The Living Room was located in the southern angled wing that faced the courtyard on the east, and terrraces of the south and west to maximize the light and views.

The Living Room of Nonesuch House features light-absorbing upholstered walls.

The Dining Room occupies the core of the house, flanked by galleries along both long sides, accessed by arched pocket doors glazed with mirrored Restoration Glass.

The Dining Room walls are upholstered in fushia silk.  The white cabinet is from the owner's previous residence in London.

Although the house is equipped with an elevator, there is a downstairs Guest Bedroom suite that could serve as a Master if desired.  The other Guest Rooms each have a gracious dressing room and private bath as well.

The Gatehouse can be viewed from a second story Guest Bedroom suite.

The Master Suite is an architecturally distinctive arrangement with His and Her accomodations.  Following the principle that a bathroom is just another room in the house, but happens to have plumbing fixtures, Her Master Bathroom has an antique marble Louis XVI chimneypiece, one of three sourced in Europe by my colleague Hector Alexander. 

The bathroom for the lady of the house features a gas-ignition wood burning fireplace.

The house is constructed of new handmade bricks, custom made to approximate the color of clay consistency in the Nashville area.  The windows, doors, and decorative hardware are all custom made as well to the specifications of John Tackett Design.  The roof is standing seam copper.

A portion of the service entrance to Nonesuch House, a new residence by John J. Tackett.

The fiberglass sculpture is a reference to a part of the owner's real estate investment portfolio, the land and buildings of a chain of restaurants.  More about this new house will be featured in future posts of The Devoted Classicst.

All the color photos are reproduced from the 2005 book by Frances Schultz and Paula S. Wallace, A HOUSE IN THE SOUTH;  OLD FASHIONED GRACIOUSNESS FOR NEW-FASHIONED TIMES available for purchase through The Devoted Classicist Library.

New House Case Study, No. 1

With a strong background in historic preservation, most of my architectural commissions involve improvements to existing houses or apartments.  It is a process that I enjoy, and I get great satisfaction from comparing successful "After" to the miserable "Before".  But I also design new houses.  Some of these new residences have not been realized, however.  Well, not yet anyway.  The Devoted Classicist thought readers might enjoy an occassional glimpse at these classic residential designs that will be place in the category New House Case Study.  A brief look will be presented on an infrequent basis, in no particular order, and arbitrarily numbered.  So here we go with the first, which we will call No. 1.

All of my houses, especially the new ones, have a strong connection to their landscape setting.  This house was designed to suit the site, a pie-shaped parcel in the curve of the road.  A former horse farm in a desirable area was being redeveloped for a variety of uses with this section being divided into small lots with houses close together.  This site was an exception, however, because it splayed so wide to the rear.  The small front was to be completely occupied by a circular motor court with the angled wings of the main block of the house embracing it, leaving a larger-than-usual gargen to be fully developed for the rear as the owners are avid gardeners.  The treeless pasture was essentially a blank slate.  All these perimeter parcels are walled, so the site would be essentially its own private setting despite the relatively small size.

The basic program for the house was similar of many in the suburbs.  There was to be four bedrooms with the Master being on the ground floor.  The square footage is about 2,700 square feet, not including a double garage.  The design intent was to provide a viable alternate to the typical subdivision house, offering studied proportions and scale for eye-pleasing, functional results at a competitive price.

Merry Christmas

Classic residential design knows no minimum size at the studio of John Tackett Design.  This new villa, currently in the planning stage for Miami-Dade County, Florida, is less than 2,000 square feet.  My new houses are not reproductions of specific traditional buildings, but a particular historic model might be an inspiration for an element of the new design;  it might be the general massing and scale, or it might be a particular feature such as the entrance that is reinterpreted for the new house.  Proportion and harmony of materials are two factors missing from so many of today's new houses, so I strive to achieve perfection in those two areas, especially.  And my houses are not just facades, but all elevations (i.e., all sides of the house) are important and each hold their own, visually.  Another important feature is the floor plan, logical in progression and spatially interesting, but meeting contemporary needs.

One of the inspirations for this free-standing single family home is the Pavillion Saint-Vigor by Gabriel in the village of Viroflay (near Versailles), France, built circa 1770.  But this house will be fully equipped for today's technology and LEED certified, environmentally responsible, and a healthy, livable home.  It will be suitable for even the most devoted classicist.

The drawing currently used for the banner was the cover for last year's holiday card, and the drawing above is this year's card.  Best wishes for all my readers, and I send hopes for peace and a very merry Christmas to all.