#pasadena modern tour: tyler house, 1958

As advertised last Saturday, I went on the most AWESOME Modern Home Tour in Pasadena, CA put on by Pasadena Heritage. It's awesomeness kind of caught me off guard. When I think of Pasadena, I think of Green and Green, Bungalow Heaven, and Frank Lloyd Wright. I do not think mid-century modern.

Do you get the touch of craftsman and the modern in the address marker street light?
Colors are modern, shapes are really Frank Lloyd Wright.

I was so wrong. The houses were fabulous . . . oh so modern, but with a touch of craftsman. My first architectural love was craftsman (as judging by our misplaced kitchen), so I was all in. Our first home, The Tyler House, is a true blend for sure.

But first, a confession. It is with some reluctance that I have started writing the posts about these six houses. I have dragged my feet because this tour was my first unadulterated photography disaster. Basically, I drove for over an hour to Pasadena, spent five wonderful hours photographing six gorgeous homes, drove an hour back, popped the memory card into the computer to view the fabulous photos and voila! I backed away from the screen in horror. Many of my 567 pictures (yes 567 pictures, nearly 100 per house which is typical), were kind of blurry and out of focus. I grabbed my camera. AHHHHHHHHHHH. The super expensive wide-angle lens, perfect for photographing interiors, was set to manual and not auto-focus. BOO. And disappointing. I will never take 567 photos again without double checking quality and settings every 40 photos. EVER AGAIN.

See the kind of blurry sign? Normally my pictures are crisp and clear.

I have had to do some serious post-production work on these pictures to salvage the situation. Looking through these posts, you will notice poor picture quality, weird filters and a lack of close ups of furniture, glass, and art (my personal passion and specialty). Just humor me.

Here we go. Ya get what ya get.

First the house. She's a pretty little girl. Asian inspired for sure. Classic post and beam construction, and big bold fifties outdoor lights. Love those lights.

Tyler House, 1958, Photo by Dennis Hill

From the Heritage tour brochure:

This house was designed and built by Ted Tyler as his own home, and because of that is highly customized, reflecting a great attention to detail. Constructed on a hillside site called "unbuildable" by other contractors, the house features a dramatic roof-line that folds over its diagonal beams, a light and expansive interior, bands of windows, some floor-to-ceiling, connecting the rooms and exterior spaces. 

This home has some truly magnificent bones. The builder and owner of the home, Ted Tyler, was not a professional architect, but clearly loved the modern aesthetic, borrowing fairly heavily from the craftsman influences that abounded in Pasadena.

 Perfect front entry way.

Well lit, but extremely private master bedroom.

Again, the modern light fixtures. The docent mentioned that the imported light fixtures have remain untouched since 1958.

I just couldn't get enough of the post and beam construction with the deep overhangs.

The home features many charming little built-in corners and custom touches driven by the owner's considerable skillset and access to resources and materials.

 Again, check out the light fixtures. And the brutalist chest this TV is sitting on is truly a collectible.

The docent mentioned that this is a Scandinavian fireplace. Looks a lot like a Preway, which I covet for our patio.

The dining set was custom built to expand to a much larger size for entertaining, and to then fold down and tuck under the bar, to clear the floor for dancing. Apparently the Tyler's loved to dance.

You get this awesome view by being a builder who can construct on an "unbuildable" hill. Take that.

Out on the patio, you realize how akin this home is to a tree house. Very private.

The view at night has to be magnificent.

I told you, I am obsessed with the big white ball lights.

Another impressive vintage fixture.

 The family room area with custom shelves over the tops of the built-in sofas. And another fantastic vintage fixture.

The kitchen is so typical. The appliances are new but the cabinets are totally original.

Thank heavens no one ever painted these lovely cabinets..

 Loved the yellow front door!

Large custom room divider separates the hall from the living room and provides much needed storage in this open and airy tree house. The room divider has an awesome collection of mid-century modern glass and pottery on top of it. Super blurry photos. Use your imagination.

A cool little tiki bar. Much of the home had tiki inspired 50's decor. Cool.

This AWESOME brutalist china cabinet is filled top to bottom with tiki mugs and glasses. What a fantastic collection!

A true example of outdoors in. The entry way patio transitions into the interior hallway.

 Here is a real view of the tree house. It is clearly perched cheerily on the side of a hill.

More posts from the Pasadena Heritage Modern tour to come over the next week or so. This tour had a little something for everyone. I promise!

Related Posts:

• Pasadena Modern Tour 2013: Tyler House, 1958, Ted Tyler, Builder
• Pasadena Modern Tour 2013: Norton House, 1954, Buff and Hensman, Architects
• Pasadena Modern Tour 2013: Test House, 1952, Lawrence Test, Architect
• Pasadena Modern Tour 2013: Hamlin House, 1983, Buff and Hensman, Architects
• Pasadena Modern Tour 2013: Dorland House, 1950, Lloyd Wright, Architect.
• Pasadena Modern Tour 2013: Zook House, 1951, Harold B. Zook, Architect