Author Helen Thompson and photographer Casey Dunn, the team that created Marfa Modern, offer another stunning display of Texas architecture and design with Texas Made/Texas Modern: The House and the Land. Multipage spreads of beautiful photographs depict 19 houses, inside and out, along with Thompson's discussion of their individual histories. A foreword by architect Lawrence W. Speck and Thompson's introduction put this project in perspective. Older and newer structures alike fit into a tradition that is particularly Texan, where modernism--as defined by glass, steel, load-bearing columns and open floor plans--intersects with what is special about the Lone Star State. Texas's climate, topography, local materials and culture all play a role in the design of these homes, which are as attuned to their natural settings as anything by Frank Lloyd Wright. A house in Wimberley highlights sliding doors at both ends which, opened, transform the house into "a big, happy breezeway." Another in Mill Spring showcases glass walls that open to the air, allowing residents to rely solely on natural ventilation "except in extreme conditions."
Sites range geographically across the state (with a focus on Austin, Dallas and the scenic hill country of central Texas), and there is a definite emphasis on interior design alongside architecture: at least half the photographs display indoor spaces, and captions are devoted to the designers of rugs, furniture and knick-knacks. Fans of architecture, design and Texas will appreciate this beautifully presented art book, and its insight into a singular modernist tradition. --Julia Kastner, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia