Showing posts with label Beautiful Bungalows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beautiful Bungalows. Show all posts
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Oak Park Bungalows
I've been working hard on the house and will soon be posting some news on the color choices, details of painting and construction update but right now I thought I would share some images of some of my favorite OP bungalows. I am not sure that this is a housing type that most people think of when they think of Oak Park but we have a many fantastic examples here. Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Beautiful Bungalows 2009!!!
It’s that time of year again: time to gear yourself up for some unadulterated bungalow ogling. Saturday, October 3rd is Pleasant Home Foundation's Annual (okay, “sort-of annual”, since we didn’t do it last year) Beautiful Bungalows tour.
This is a fantastic opportunity to check out some great architecture, furnishings, collections and restoration work at some of Oak Park’s finest bungalows. This year’s tour will not fail to impress as we have a great selection of bungalows.
The tour is in the OP, and starts at 10:00 and goes to 3:00. Tour starts with registration at Pleasant Home. Registration begins at 9:00. Admission to the event also includes a great guided tour of George Maher's remarkable Pleasant Home. The tour costs 35 bucks if you register in advance by calling (708) 383 2654. It is $40 on the day of the tour.
Hope to see you there.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Calling All Bungalows
Pleasant Home Foundation Plans Beautiful Bungalow Tour in Oak Park
Since 2005, Pleasant Home Foundation has, as its annual fundraiser, held a tour featuring remarkable bungalows in Oak Park and River Forest. After a one year hiatus, they are resuming the tour again this year and hopes to tour six homes in the area just west of Columbus Park.
Oak Park has no shortage of home tours as homes by prominent architects are graciously opened by their owners for touring of a wide range of folks from architecture buffs to curious onlookers. The Beautiful Bungalows tour is distinct in that it typically features modest homes with sometimes surprising interior décor and remarkable Arts & Crafts collections.
The tour was inspired by the popularity of this housing type as the house for the average person. Pleasant Home’s architect, George Maher, also had a modest bungalow where his family vacationed in Southwest Michigan. The low profile of these homes, their dark woods, and fine craftsmanship are all aspects found in much of Maher’s work and can be seen on a grander scale at historic Pleasant Home.
The hunt is on for homes that fit the bill for this year’s tour as volunteers are scouring the neighborhood roughly bound by Austin Avenue to the east, Oak Park Avenue to the west, the Expressway to the south, and South Boulevard to the north. Do you want to help in the search? If you have a home that is a bungalow, has good craftsmanship and character, is in good condition, has excellent Arts & Crafts collections, or any combination of these, drop an e-mail to: beautifulbungalows @ gmail.com. If you don’t know of a home but would still like to help out as a volunteer at Pleasant Home or as a docent on the day of the Beautiful Bungalows tour, please call (708) 383 2654.
Since 2005, Pleasant Home Foundation has, as its annual fundraiser, held a tour featuring remarkable bungalows in Oak Park and River Forest. After a one year hiatus, they are resuming the tour again this year and hopes to tour six homes in the area just west of Columbus Park.
Oak Park has no shortage of home tours as homes by prominent architects are graciously opened by their owners for touring of a wide range of folks from architecture buffs to curious onlookers. The Beautiful Bungalows tour is distinct in that it typically features modest homes with sometimes surprising interior décor and remarkable Arts & Crafts collections.
The tour was inspired by the popularity of this housing type as the house for the average person. Pleasant Home’s architect, George Maher, also had a modest bungalow where his family vacationed in Southwest Michigan. The low profile of these homes, their dark woods, and fine craftsmanship are all aspects found in much of Maher’s work and can be seen on a grander scale at historic Pleasant Home.
The hunt is on for homes that fit the bill for this year’s tour as volunteers are scouring the neighborhood roughly bound by Austin Avenue to the east, Oak Park Avenue to the west, the Expressway to the south, and South Boulevard to the north. Do you want to help in the search? If you have a home that is a bungalow, has good craftsmanship and character, is in good condition, has excellent Arts & Crafts collections, or any combination of these, drop an e-mail to: beautifulbungalows @ gmail.com. If you don’t know of a home but would still like to help out as a volunteer at Pleasant Home or as a docent on the day of the Beautiful Bungalows tour, please call (708) 383 2654.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
The Bungalow Blog Tour
Hi everyone, welcome to the 1st (annual) Bungalow Blog Tour. If you came here from one of the other Bungalow Blogs, then you already know the drill. If not, then you should know, this tour was initiated by Stucco House because she was lamenting the fact that the Twin Cities Bungalow Tour was not going to be happening this year. The tour started there and then continued to Bungalow '23 or Foxcroft (all awesome bungalows). If you came from Bungalow '23, this might be your third stop on the tour.
Anyway, welcome to the Tiny Bungalow. It got it's name because, obviously, it is tiny. We're extremely creative, that way. There is a whopping 860 square feet of living space in this 1914 beauty and we use every inch of it. It was built by builder/developer Raymond Hancock along with almost 30 others on the street. Ours has the distinction of being the smallest.
We've done quite a bit of work on the yard. We were tired of the 100 year old yews in the front so we decided to take them out and replace them with something a little more native. Yep, that is a giant barrel in the front of the house. No, it is not for moonshine or anything illicit like that, it just collects rain from the roof that we use for gardening.
C'mon inside. There's no need to take off your shoes. Just wipe off the dog poop as best you can and stay with the group - I wouldn't want anyone to get lost or to stray off, get lost, or wander and consume any of our fizzy lifting drinks. We had the ceiling in that room cleaned before the tour and I don't want to have to do it again anytime soon.
This is the front porch. The stunning lighting display was put up about two weeks ago and the furniture was made by yours truly. In my off time, I like to make things.
This is it, the money shot: the living room and dining room is one big open room and we haven't done shit to it since we've moved in (except for ripping some bad vinyl wall coverings off the wall). The furniture is a mish-mosh of old stuff we've collected over the years. The dining room table is actually Stickley. We have a soft-spot in our hearts for their furniture. Partly because of the great style and craftsmanship but mostly because I grew up in CNY and it reminds me of "home". The built-in is original as are the stunning beamed ceilings. One of these days, we'll clean up the wood and put some paint on the walls in here.
The next room on the tour is the bedroom. We actually have done some work in here. Believe it or not, it used to be entirely white and had no natural woodwork. It took about a year to complete (actually, it's still not officially done but calling it "done" keeps me sane). 
The next room is the small bedroom, my daughter's room. This was the "yellow room" when we moved in. We've toned it down a bit with some new paint and decor. 
Finally, here's our basement. When we moved in, it was a complete mess. We've tried to brighten it up a bit. It is pretty much our family room
Okay, everyone has to put on this blindfold now as we walk through the kitchen and out into the back yard. Be careful not to trip over the back step. This is our back yard. I like to garden so it is usually filled with lots of flowers and bunnies. 
Feel free to hang out and have a mojito if you'd like. When you muster up the energy, you should go down the street and check out Humphrey House. I am not sure if they are ready for the tour but they always have something going on down there. Oh, and grab a sledgehammer before you go - they've been known to put their guests to work immediately.
Feel free to check out the rest of this blog to see what other stuff we are up to. There are links to all sorts of awesome bungalows to the right as well. Finally, if you haven't had enough of bungalows, the OP will be having it's semi-annual bungalow tour, Beautiful Bungalows, this fall. Come back for it because we have some real beauties on tap.
Anyway, welcome to the Tiny Bungalow. It got it's name because, obviously, it is tiny. We're extremely creative, that way. There is a whopping 860 square feet of living space in this 1914 beauty and we use every inch of it. It was built by builder/developer Raymond Hancock along with almost 30 others on the street. Ours has the distinction of being the smallest.
We've done quite a bit of work on the yard. We were tired of the 100 year old yews in the front so we decided to take them out and replace them with something a little more native. Yep, that is a giant barrel in the front of the house. No, it is not for moonshine or anything illicit like that, it just collects rain from the roof that we use for gardening.
C'mon inside. There's no need to take off your shoes. Just wipe off the dog poop as best you can and stay with the group - I wouldn't want anyone to get lost or to stray off, get lost, or wander and consume any of our fizzy lifting drinks. We had the ceiling in that room cleaned before the tour and I don't want to have to do it again anytime soon.This is the front porch. The stunning lighting display was put up about two weeks ago and the furniture was made by yours truly. In my off time, I like to make things.
This is it, the money shot: the living room and dining room is one big open room and we haven't done shit to it since we've moved in (except for ripping some bad vinyl wall coverings off the wall). The furniture is a mish-mosh of old stuff we've collected over the years. The dining room table is actually Stickley. We have a soft-spot in our hearts for their furniture. Partly because of the great style and craftsmanship but mostly because I grew up in CNY and it reminds me of "home". The built-in is original as are the stunning beamed ceilings. One of these days, we'll clean up the wood and put some paint on the walls in here.The next room on the tour is the bedroom. We actually have done some work in here. Believe it or not, it used to be entirely white and had no natural woodwork. It took about a year to complete (actually, it's still not officially done but calling it "done" keeps me sane). The next room is the small bedroom, my daughter's room. This was the "yellow room" when we moved in. We've toned it down a bit with some new paint and decor. Finally, here's our basement. When we moved in, it was a complete mess. We've tried to brighten it up a bit. It is pretty much our family roomOkay, everyone has to put on this blindfold now as we walk through the kitchen and out into the back yard. Be careful not to trip over the back step. This is our back yard. I like to garden so it is usually filled with lots of flowers and bunnies. Feel free to hang out and have a mojito if you'd like. When you muster up the energy, you should go down the street and check out Humphrey House. I am not sure if they are ready for the tour but they always have something going on down there. Oh, and grab a sledgehammer before you go - they've been known to put their guests to work immediately.Feel free to check out the rest of this blog to see what other stuff we are up to. There are links to all sorts of awesome bungalows to the right as well. Finally, if you haven't had enough of bungalows, the OP will be having it's semi-annual bungalow tour, Beautiful Bungalows, this fall. Come back for it because we have some real beauties on tap.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Its never too early to start planning
We didn't do it last year (I am not sure what happened, maybe we just had a collective mental breakdown or something) but Beautiful Bungalows, an incredible tour of bungalows in the OP is back.
I am not chairing the event this year but I am working on the house selection committee and this year is shaping up to just as good, maybe better, than previous years. We always have a great selection of bungalows of every style and what better place to check out some sick architecture than in the OP. To see photos from previous years, click the tag "Beautiful Bungalows" below.
This is the major fundraising event for Pleasant Home Foundation and it is a great tour. If you are into bungalows, Arts & Crafts decor, Stickley furniture, or anything to do with old homes, this is a must-see event and well worth a weekend trip to Chicagoland. Hope to see you there.
I am not chairing the event this year but I am working on the house selection committee and this year is shaping up to just as good, maybe better, than previous years. We always have a great selection of bungalows of every style and what better place to check out some sick architecture than in the OP. To see photos from previous years, click the tag "Beautiful Bungalows" below.This is the major fundraising event for Pleasant Home Foundation and it is a great tour. If you are into bungalows, Arts & Crafts decor, Stickley furniture, or anything to do with old homes, this is a must-see event and well worth a weekend trip to Chicagoland. Hope to see you there.
Friday, October 05, 2007
What the hell have you been up to?
It is the eve of bungalow weekend here in the OP. We have a great program of events lined up for the weekend if you want to come and “get inspired” – as stated by the folks over at House in Progress.
Tomorrow morning is the Restoration Forum at Pleasant Home FREE and open to the public. Many building professionals, government officials, architects, homeowners, and other dignitaries will be there to share their knowledge. It runs from 9 until noon.
While at the Forum, sign up for the evening benefit for Pleasant Home: a lecture and reception (complete with food and booze) at a fantastic George Maher home in the OP. You can also sign up for our annual Bungalow Tour on Sunday. Inside tours of 6 awesome homes will be featured on Sunday.
Since I have been working hard on these events, I haven’t been doing much to the Tiny Bungalow. I should report that the warm weather has fostered the arrival of our second batch of raspberries. Last year, I watched an Indiana farming show on PBS where they said you should mow your raspberry bushes to the ground each season to guarantee two batches of raspberries: one smaller batch in July, and a larger one in mid September. Well, we did what they said and had a not so great crop in July. I think this was due to our late frost in May. Now it is the first week of October and we have been picking huge sweet raspberries, about a pint an evening, for the past 5 or 6 days. Awesome. I am glad it has stayed warm enough for these things to ripen.
It is supposed to be a beautiful weekend so if you have the time and love old homes, come on out to the OP.
Tomorrow morning is the Restoration Forum at Pleasant Home FREE and open to the public. Many building professionals, government officials, architects, homeowners, and other dignitaries will be there to share their knowledge. It runs from 9 until noon.
While at the Forum, sign up for the evening benefit for Pleasant Home: a lecture and reception (complete with food and booze) at a fantastic George Maher home in the OP. You can also sign up for our annual Bungalow Tour on Sunday. Inside tours of 6 awesome homes will be featured on Sunday.
Since I have been working hard on these events, I haven’t been doing much to the Tiny Bungalow. I should report that the warm weather has fostered the arrival of our second batch of raspberries. Last year, I watched an Indiana farming show on PBS where they said you should mow your raspberry bushes to the ground each season to guarantee two batches of raspberries: one smaller batch in July, and a larger one in mid September. Well, we did what they said and had a not so great crop in July. I think this was due to our late frost in May. Now it is the first week of October and we have been picking huge sweet raspberries, about a pint an evening, for the past 5 or 6 days. Awesome. I am glad it has stayed warm enough for these things to ripen.
It is supposed to be a beautiful weekend so if you have the time and love old homes, come on out to the OP.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
One Month to Beautiful Bungalows Weekend
For the third year, Pleasant Home Foundation presents Beautiful Bungalows: A Celebration on Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October 7. Beautiful Bungalows features events celebrating Oak Park’s bungalows, their variety, craftsmanship and modern use. Three special events make up the weekend, with the highlight being the bungalow house interior tour on Sunday. New this year is a Restoration Forum at Pleasant Home, free and open to the public. A benefit fundraiser for the restoration of Pleasant Home will also be held in a private George Maher-designed home in Oak Park. Details on all of the events follows:
Pleasant Home Restoration Forum
Saturday, October 6
9 am - 12 noon
Find lots of ideas for your own renovation and restoration projects at this free open forum of local preservation experts and resources at historic Pleasant Home, 217 Home Avenue, Oak Park. Free, open to the public.
Exhibits will include:
- Furnishings
- Financing restoration
- Lighting
Pleasant Home Restoration Forum
Saturday, October 6
9 am - 12 noon
Find lots of ideas for your own renovation and restoration projects at this free open forum of local preservation experts and resources at historic Pleasant Home, 217 Home Avenue, Oak Park. Free, open to the public.
Exhibits will include:
- Furnishings
- Financing restoration
- Lighting
- Green materials
- Getting a permit
- Kitchen design
- Art glass: new and old
- Using the Internet
- Researching your home
- Color analysis
- Historic fences
- Planning an addition
- Historic windows
and more.
Maher’s Bungalows – A Pleasant Home Benet Reception
530 North Euclid Avenue, Oak Park
Saturday, October 6
6 - 8 pm
Join us at George W. Maher’s wonderful Erwin House for a special evening benet reception featuring cocktails and hors d’ouevres, and a presentation on Maher’s bungalows by architectural historian Kathleen Cummings.
$25 (advance registration requested)
Oak Park Bungalow Tour
Sunday, October 7
11 am – 4 pm
Enjoy this unique opportunity for docent-led interior tours of some of Oak Park’s most spectacular bungalows, most never before open to the public, and a self-guided walking tour of their historic neighborhoods.
No tickets will be mailed. Check-in, ticket/map pick-up and day-of registration begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7 at Pleasant Home, 217 Home Avenue.
$35 (advance registration), $40 (day of the event)
- Getting a permit
- Kitchen design
- Art glass: new and old
- Using the Internet
- Researching your home
- Color analysis
- Historic fences
- Planning an addition
- Historic windows
and more.
Maher’s Bungalows – A Pleasant Home Benet Reception
530 North Euclid Avenue, Oak Park
Saturday, October 6
6 - 8 pm
Join us at George W. Maher’s wonderful Erwin House for a special evening benet reception featuring cocktails and hors d’ouevres, and a presentation on Maher’s bungalows by architectural historian Kathleen Cummings.
$25 (advance registration requested)
Oak Park Bungalow Tour
Sunday, October 7
11 am – 4 pm
Enjoy this unique opportunity for docent-led interior tours of some of Oak Park’s most spectacular bungalows, most never before open to the public, and a self-guided walking tour of their historic neighborhoods.
No tickets will be mailed. Check-in, ticket/map pick-up and day-of registration begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7 at Pleasant Home, 217 Home Avenue.
$35 (advance registration), $40 (day of the event)
To register, call 708-383-2654 or visit http://www.pleasanthome.org/.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
If You Love Bungalows
If you love bungalows and old homes, you need to mark your calendars. Sunday, October 7th will be Pleasant Home's 3rd annual Beautiful Bungalows tour. It features interior tours of 7 historic bungalows and we always have a great selection of homes. We will also be hosting lectures and presentations on old home restoration. Stay tuned for details. It is a great place to get restoration ideas, to learn about historic architecture, and to see the inside of some fantastic homes. If you are interested now, don't hesitate to put your name on the mailing list for Pleasant Home by calling (708) 383 2654.Here are some of the homes we have featured over the past two years:
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