Storybook House Downloadable Cardmodels:

Fairy Tale, Disneyesque, Hansel and Gretel- these are all common synonyms for the Storybook Style we've chosen for a worthy collection. Its a rambunctious portrayal of medieval Europe, and surely the most delightful home style of the twentieth century. It appeared briefly on the American scene in the early 1920s, reached its flowering shortly before the Great Depression, and was all but forgotten by the late 1930s. Storybook Style houses were the product of architects and builders with a distinct flair for theater, a love of fine craftsmanship, and not least a good sense of humor-attributes that make them especially endearing to the jaded modern eye.

This unique style appeared briefly on the American scene in the early 1920s, reached its flowering shortly before the Great Depression, and was all but forgotten by the late 1930s. Storybook Style houses were the product of architects and builders with a distinct flair for theater, a love of fine craftsmanship, and a good sense of humor.

 Storybook Houses YouTube Hotlink


The Spadena House-Beverly HillsThe Spadena House- aka The Witch's House, Beverly Hills, Ca

This is an excellent example of Storybook Style, as well as its most literal link to the film industry. The house was designed by Harry Oliver in 1921 and constructed in Culver City to provide offices and dressing rooms for a movie studio.

With its cartoonishly lopsided walls and roofs, the entire design is a clever caricature of dilapidated mediaeval antiquity. It is known for its fanciful design that intentionally cause it to look dilapidated and old, and is a landmark included on tours of the area.

The house appeared in a number of silent films of the era before being moved to Beverly Hills in 1934 and converted into a residence. The residence still appears to this day in movies, including 1995's 'Clueless'.


In July of 1998, the Witch's House was sold for $1.3 million to Michael Libow, a real estate agent who plans to preserve the historic house. Also, there is a new intricate garden wall which accurately reflects the textures of the original building... an addition which looks as if it had always been there.)

Beverly Hills Home Door
Beverly Hills Home Roof
Beverly Hills Home Windows
The lovingly crafted front door of the Spadena House is composed of odd-shaped wooden slabs with their edges rounded over to make them look old.
Dormers, which in medieval times merely provided access to the loft of a farmhouse via an external ladder, evolved into windows after the adoption of interior stairs made lofts more convenient for sleeping.
In Storybook Style homes, dormers are generally small-scaled in keeping with the modest scale of the homes. Sometimes they are 100% decorative.


 

Fiddlersgreen Story Book Collection:
Robert's Roost (first model)
Clockmakers Cottage (in progress)




Here's a tour of a few Story Book Houses to wet your imagination- (should it even need wetting....)

Fantasy House Comstock
Carmel California is well known for its Hansel & Gretel building style. Note the curved sides

Fantasy House France
An old photo of a rambling home in France not intended to be Story Book House but truly is anyway.

Brubach, Germany
Rush hour in Brubach, Germany..Located on the right bank of the Rhein
Fantasy House Longbeach
A pair of diminutive towers flank the main entrance of this Long Beach home dating from 1928. It seems to be mimicking the drawbridge of a medieval castle.
Fantasy House Comstock
The Tuck Box retail store of 1926 has inspired many a Carmel architect since and has been instrumental in establishing the quaint atmosphere of this seaside attraction
Story Book Playhouse
Kudos to the loving Dad and Mom who put this one together. Its so much harder to build 'wonky'
Fantasy House Morgans
Welcome to Richey and Karen Morgan's Olalla Washington home begun in 1980 and is still a work in progress.
Fantasy House Morgans Door
The handcrafted 300 pound front door with flame cut hammered hinges. The image of a Hobbit springs to mind.
Fantasy House Morgans Door

Comically over-the-top hinges decorate the massive hand crafted garage door. Note the bird house at the peak of the roof.

Cookie HIll front yard
Cookie Hill was hidden away in the little Sierra town of Pollock Pines.,el 4000 ft. Kitchen on the left, living room in the center with the sleeping area above. Note the tower is in the shape of a giant speaker which would amplify the enclosed pipe chimes when played. The rear entrance, patterned after rustic Holland, is shown to the right.

The owner lived in the UK for a few years and was foolish enough to rent it temporarily to a seemingly nice family man who turned out to be a sleaze bag druggie who trashed it along with the help from his sleaze bag pals.. The El Dorado building department leveled it in 1994. The bill was the value of the property

Cookie HIll back door
Cookie Hill, Pollock Pines
Shower room with fireplace on the right.
This was the last photo taken of Cookie Hill

Porch Hobbit at Cookie HillThe porch was supported by two full sized hobbits sculpted from concrete.

A length of re-bar firmly set the support into his curly hair and they were mortared to the river rock column below.


You guessed it...This was my (Chip Fyn) home built my yours truly and a few of his friends


Fantasy House Normandy VillageThis is a view of ' Normandy Village', an eight unit apartment building, next to the University of California, Berkeley

Fantasy House Normandy Village
We all need a little place to go to when we need a little peace. This has a Masque-style shingle domed roof
Fantasy House OaklandA roofer's delight ! Weathered shakes in abundance shouts of a beach side location. The style has a Scandinavian feel
Milwaukee
Elegantly curved aslar masonry on this Milwaukee home mates nicely with the rectangular chimney to the right.
Fantasy House SpokaneSpokane's spectacularly ivy-draped Cunningham House built in 1929
Fantasy House Milwaukee
A steeply peaked roof, deeply recessed front door, and rounded steps work to bring this Milwaukee residence off axis composition all together
Fantasy House Chelsea
This looks like a grand kids playhouse at the bottom of the garden. Look at the 'created' swag roof and wonder how they did that. Warped lumber perhaps ?
Shop in Schwerin Germany
Kunstdrechslerei (wood turning shop) in Schwerin, Germany. Notice that the 'Jetty' is only along the right hand side

 

Chimney of brick and rubble stone. Perfect for Santa to climb every Christmas
This massive chimney combines crazed brick and stone with two differently shaped sides
A tower-like 'Bee Hive' chimney capped off by an arcaded cap and finial
A delightful Carr Jones chimney combining both a rectangular and a round forms
A roof-side view of the Morgan's 'Hobbit' house. (more above). The materials are colored asphalt shingles it would seem. These guys must have had money to burn


Cotswold Sketches Bibury
Bibury, Cotswolds, England
Cotswold Sketches Broadway Tower
Broadway Tower- Cotswolds, England
Cotswold Sketches Broadway
Broadway, Cotswolds, England
Cotswold Sketches Burford
Burford, Cotswolds, England
Cotswold Sketches Burton
Burton-on-the-Water, Cotswolds, England
Cotswold Sketches Burton
Burton-on-the-Water, Cotswolds, England
Cotswold Sketches Chdworth
Chedworth
Cotswold Sketches Chalford
Chalford
Cotswold Sketches Chasleton
Castleton
Cotswold Sketches Burton
Burton on-the-Water
Cotswold Sketches Chetenham
Cheltenham
Cotswold Sketches Chipping Campden
Chipping Campden
Cotswold Sketches Costwold Scene
A Cotswold Farm
Eastleach
Eastleach, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Churches
Some interesting -and very British- architectural embellishments
Cotswold Sketches Gloucester Cathedral
Glouster-Cathedral, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Northleach
Northleach, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Painswick Church
Painswick Church Yard
Cotswold Sketches Sapperton
Sappertpon, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Chipping Campden
Chipping Campden, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Cirencester
Cirencester, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Inn Signs
Some typical Pub Signs
Cotswold Sketches George Inn
Winchcombe, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Gloucester New Inn
Glouster, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Slad Valley
Slad-Valley, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Snowshill
Snowshill, Cotswolds (my favourite!)
Cotswold Sketches Stanton
Stanton
Cotswold Sketches Stow on the wold
Stow-on-the-Wold
Cotswold Sketches Stow On the Wold
Stow-on-the-Wold, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Cheltenham
Cheltenham, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Stanway
Stanway, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Sudely Castle
Sudeley Castle, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Upper Slaughter
Upper Slaughter, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Lower Slaughter
Lower Slaughter, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Lower Swell
Lower Swell, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Minchinhampton
Minchinhampton, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Winchcombe
Winchcombe, Cotswolds
Cotswold Sketches Wotton Under Edge
Woton-Under-Edge, Cotswolds