Name/Title
STORYBOOK STYLE: AMERICA’S WHIMSICAL HOMES OF THE TWENTIESEntry/Object ID
2025.93.1Description
Fairy Tale, Disneyesque, Hansel and Gretel-these are all synonyms for Storybook Style, a rambunctious evocation of medieval Europe, and surely the most delightful home style of the twentieth century. It appeared in the early 1920s, and was almost forgotten by the late
1930s. Storybook Style houses were created by architects and builders with a distinct flair for theater, a love of fine craftsmanship, and a good sense of humor-attributes that make these homes endearing to the jaded modern eye.
By in large the Storybook Style was a Hollywood product, for the vast public that thronged theaters for the early Hollywood films went to experience the exotic foreign locales they were unlikely ever to see in per-son. In this way they acquired a taste for foreign vernacular architecture thanks to the movie sets engendered by Hollywood's best architectural talents. In turn, builders were quick to capitalize on this fascination and built homes evocatively titled Picardy Village and Normandy Towers in California, and in
1931 Sears, Roebuck offered a medievalized English cottage in its catalog.
Here then is a wealth of information on an architectural subject that is both great fun and beautifully illustrated with over two hundred color photographs by Douglas Keister and an expert text by Arrol Gellner.Create Date
May 24, 2025
