In The Iconic British House, author Dominic Bradbury seeks to define what being 'iconic' and 'British' might mean through an exploration of 50 examples of homes from 1900 to the present day. 'Within a country where the theme of house and home is something of a national obsession, a spirit of adventure is threaded through the residential architecture,' he writes in his introduction. 'To my mind, the houses over the following pages suggest that there is, in broad terms, a unique identity to British architecture,' he adds.
A House for Essex
The Iconic British House: a book exploring the UK's residential architecture
The book, published this autumn by Thames & Hudson, is a rich investigation of the genre through a variety of examples – houses from every style, including Arts and Crafts, art deco, modernism and postmodernism – and a range of authors, both established and emerging names alike.
Architects such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Edwin Lutyens, Berthold Lubetkin, Richard Rogers, Skene Catling de la Pena, and Seth Stein all make an appearance. Many of the designs have been influential beyond the country's borders or even define entire eras or architectural periods.
Bradbury, a frequent Wallpaper* contributor and prolific architectural writer, is an authority on the subject, having penned architecture books such as Off the Grid, The Iconic House, The Iconic American House and The Iconic Interior in the past. Meanwhile, this particular tome is richly illustrated by architectural photographer – and frequent Bradbury collaborator – Richard Powers, whose lens transports us to every home, whether we've ever visited in real life, or not.
Dr Rogers House
Alain de Botton, founder of Living Architecture, the holiday rental company whose property, A House for Essex (designed by Grayson Perry and FAT Architecture), features in the book, has written the foreword, where he stresses the importance of house design. Homes affect our mood, plans, and understanding of the world, he says, highlighting how pivotal they are to wellbeing, relationships with the environment and each other, and creativity. 'Without good architecture, we cannot be properly or fully ourselves,' he concludes.
Greenways
The Black House
The Iconic British House: Modern Architectural Masterworks Since 1900, by Dominic Bradbury (Author), Richard Powers (Photographer), Alain de Botton (Contributor)
Also available from amazon.co.uk and whsmith.co.uk
-
The ultimate amenity in this Canadian apartment building? A trio of scene-stealing restaurantsPart of Citizen on Jasper, a new residential tower, Va!, Olia, and Mimi offer a thrilling day-to-night dining experience
-
These sculptural mirrors embody the relaxed spirit of the MedPhotographed in a Mallorcan residence designed by local studio Munarq, these new sculptural mirrors by New York furniture company Ready To Hang are inspired by the sea
-
African brutalism explored: from bold experimentation to uncertain futureDiscover the complex and manifold legacies of brutalist architecture in Africa with writer and curator Fabiola Büchele
-
Around the world in brutalist interiors – take a tour with this new book'Brutalist Interiors' is a new book exploring the genre's most spectacular spaces; we speak to its editor Derek Lamberton, and ask for his top-three must-sees
-
15 years of Assemble, the community-driven British architecture collectiveRich in information and visuals, 'Assemble: Building Collective' is a new book celebrating the Turner Prize-winning architecture collective, its community-driven hits and its challenges
-
Meet Studio Knight Stokoe, the landscape architects guided by ‘resilience, regeneration and empathy’Boutique and agile, Studio Knight Stokoe crafts elegant landscapes from its base in the southwest of England – including a revived brutalist garden
-
Tour this compact Kent coast jewel of a cabin with StudiomamaJack Mama and Nina Tolstrup take us on a tour of their latest project – a small but perfectly formed Kent coast cabin in Seasalter, UK
-
Boutique London rental development celebrates European courtyard livingLondon design and development studio Wendover unveils its newest residential project, 20 Newcourt Street, comprising nine apartments; we toured with co-founder Gabriel Chipperfield
-
From giant ducks to Martian-style homes, weird (and wonderful) buildings around the worldNew book ‘Weird Buildings’ from Hoxton Mini Press encourages readers to think outside the box with a selection of architecture that is functional and fantastical
-
A refreshed Fulham house balances its history with a series of 21st-century interventionsA Fulham house project by Bureau de Change creates a 21st-century domestic haven through a series of contemporary interventions and a deep connection to the property's historical fabric
-
The Monthly Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s favourite July housesFrom geometric Japanese cottages to restored modernist masterpieces, these are the best residential projects to have crossed the architecture desk this month
