Comments on the style saloniste: CALIFORNIA DESIGN PROFILE: Architect Andrew Skurman

I've always been fascinated by spectacular arc...

2012-06-11T17:29:32.435-07:00

I've always been fascinated by spectacular architecture and I have to say these homes/photos are truly breathtaking. Thanks for sharing

Andrew Skurman's work is beautiful not only fo...

2011-11-09T13:46:38.416-08:00

Andrew Skurman's work is beautiful not only for its aesthetics but for its thought out concept and "honest" traditional design. I find it fasinating to see a traditional architect who is incorporating green design into their work.

It is always nice to read such a great interview s...

2011-03-03T19:55:01.924-08:00

It is always nice to read such a great interview such as this. And the amazing photos that you posted were just an added bonus.

What a wonderful glimpse into the mind of a truly ...

2010-12-30T19:52:09.905-08:00

What a wonderful glimpse into the mind of a truly talented architect. Thank you for sharing this as well as all of the other great content you have here on your blog.

Lovely photographic choices, and a wonderfully per...

2010-01-13T20:18:04.996-08:00

Lovely photographic choices, and a wonderfully personable interview. Thank you for a few moments of introduction into Andrew's world. Though a modernist, I truly admire his work.

Mr. Skurman has an incredible combination of talen...

2010-01-13T19:40:09.329-08:00

Mr. Skurman has an incredible combination of talent and knowledge... which was revealed through your well thought out questions and wonderful conversation.

your post is wonderful....mr skurman is brilliant ...

2010-01-13T12:20:39.939-08:00

your post is wonderful....mr skurman is brilliant and i love how clean everything is... so refined and elegant... hope this finds you well... x pam

What an absolutely fabulous read.... oooOOOOOOoooo...

2010-01-12T19:26:08.986-08:00

What an absolutely fabulous read.... oooOOOOOOoooo.... thank you.

so wonderful! Thanks! diane , you are a wonder! ...

2010-01-10T01:23:15.742-08:00

so wonderful! Thanks! diane , you are a wonder!

I didn't think I wanted to build another house........now you are tempting me!

what a wonderful architect! Proportion is everything that is good. And mostly lacking in the McMansions.......spreading far and wide.

I think the economy has slowed them down. This man's houses look like those in Northampton, Mass....where I went to boarding school!

Gorgeous......classical architecture.......great proportions.........beautiful!

Bravo to you!

Penny

Hello, Dear Dustjacket- Yes, i agree with you. Pe...

2010-01-08T23:25:40.325-08:00

Hello, Dear Dustjacket-

Yes, i agree with you. Perfection follows hard work and devotion and study. Andy told me he even makes AND carves and mocks up models of wood trim and pediments and columns and other interior architecture to be sure it is right.
Thank you for your note.

Hels: Thank you for your wise and insightful comment.
I do understand that it might seem incorrect or certainly surprisingand confusing that Andrew Skurman would both admire Le Corbusier ('for the free interior plan and its poetry) and still be a practitioner of classical architecture.
To be the best architect (or writer or designer or ... anything) it is essential to study the history of that art or craft and to know every expert's theory, and to understand the evolution of the art and craft. A classicist should study modernists. Modernists (who reject classicism) should understand the history of architecture (Palladio, for example) before moving in a new direction.
Don't forget that Andy worked with IM Pei, one of the great modernists.
Hels--loved your comment and enquiry. Stay tuned and let us hear your voice. Much appreciated.
CHEERS, DIANE

It is interesting that Skurman said he was most in...

2010-01-08T15:44:44.771-08:00

It is interesting that Skurman said he was most inspired by Parisian architect Le Corbusier, the greatest of all modernists, for his poetry of the free plan. Don't get me wrong - I love Le Corbusier. But Skurman's houses don't make him look like a fan.

Hels
Art and Architecture, mainly

His dedication to his craft is really awe inspirin...

2010-01-08T14:44:55.676-08:00

His dedication to his craft is really awe inspiring. I was amazed at his quote "spend months and years refining each detail".

A wonderful post with such beautiful photo's.

Thank you so much for your encouraging comment, I really appreciated it. In regards to credits, thank you, I do enjoy giving those who worked so hard on the sets credit (If I have not listed them it means I really couldn't find that information).

Have a beautiful weekend Diane,
xxx

It is great to see photos of Andy's work which...

2010-01-08T09:00:39.774-08:00

It is great to see photos of Andy's work which is so beautiful and so private. Your interview gives us a new look at the man behind that work
Thanks Diane.

Hello, Super Dilettante, and hello, Denny- Thank ...

2010-01-07T23:25:19.882-08:00

Hello, Super Dilettante, and hello, Denny-

Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and for such a passionate response to Andy's work.
I think I will have to make another post in future on ANDREW SKURMAN.
He has viewed these comments and is thrilled beyond words. I can't tell you how encouraging this is to an architect. Residential architects don't really get the recognition or immediate understanding that interior designers receive, I think.
Yes, there is a line from Palladio--to Andy's work, and Vitruvius and his harmony and balance and proportion is very much at work here.
Andy's work is the result of a lifetime of work--and study of the best examples.
So very pleased you saw it all...and noted that to be a great architect means to study art and living and architecture and the history of architecture. Denny--love your new bird paintings.
cheers and all best, DIANE

Diane~ thank you for another stellar post! I'...

2010-01-07T08:57:34.228-08:00

Diane~ thank you for another stellar post! I've always admired Skurman's work and glad we can call him our own. I'm such a huge fan of Palladio and Vitruvius, so it makes sense that I'm drawn to current architects who carry the tradition.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year. Thank you so much sharing th is am...

2010-01-07T04:22:56.641-08:00

Happy New Year. Thank you so much sharing th is amazing architect. I ABSOLUTELY love his design and his houses. If I could have a house as big and luxurious as this, I would definitely like to design like his houses. I love the window shutters which look so French and a great contrast with the classical design. It's amazing that he loves Piero Della Francesca's paintings and the Italian town, Urbino because I love it too!! ASD

PS. My dear, I've been away and just got back so I'm slightly behind the posts in here but I'll be catching up soon. Take care.

GREET-I loved your comment that Andrew Skurman is ...

2010-01-06T14:39:42.331-08:00

GREET-I loved your comment that Andrew Skurman is 'more European than the Europeans', in effect. Your are right. California clients do want their pure Georgian or their pure classical interior and exteriors.
Europeans live surrounded by classical and historical buildings--so perhaps for their new architecture it's understandable that they want a jolt and an infusion of modernity and the 21st century. Here, there is reverence for tradition and classicism and looking to the past for inspiration--and Andy is the architect for these clients.
FRANCINE--Yes, we are fortunate to have Andrew's refined architecture, though in truth most of his houses are hidden away on large estates on the Peninsula, south of San Francisco, ultra-private--so they are not visible except to the owners.
I hope he will inspire other architects and especially younger architects and they have the confidence to insist on the best materials, the finest quality work, and all the right proportions, not a pastiche.
LISA--You are the great one. Thank you! Your recent posts on London are among the greatest ever. Your feature on 'as snowy day in London' with a stiletto-fueled to Highgate to visit George Elliot...I have read it three times at least, and will read it again. Photos are so poetic and tone is witty and insightful and brilliantly original and evocative. Bravo to you. I can't wait until you arrive in sunny North Africa. Cheers...and here's to your brilliance and wit (and mothering and Champagne and fires on arrival).
cheers to all, DIANE

Lovely profile, fascinating interview...as always....

2010-01-06T10:08:16.287-08:00

Lovely profile, fascinating interview...as always. My brain cells have been enlightened and my soul enriched...but I have come to expect nothing less from the Divine DDS!

xx

Great feature and interview. These houses are trul...

2010-01-06T05:10:49.006-08:00

Great feature and interview. These houses are truly spectacular, not just in style but in quality and authentic constructions. I wished their firm built more houses in Greenwhich, Connecticut where most mc mansions are show only and no substance....

Dear Diane, I can't thank you enough for this ...

2010-01-06T02:23:45.678-08:00

Dear Diane,
I can't thank you enough for this gorgeous article and interview with Andrew Skurman! I am so delighted to see an unbelievable talented architect as Andrew is!!
I feel the European classicism much more in his architecture than in the most European architects of today!
Wonderful work! Exquisite! I wish he lived in Belgium! The classicism is also my favorite architectural style.
Diane, I am so thankful that you introduced us to Andrew!
Just stunning!
Thank you!
xx
Greet

Dear Lynne, Scott (welcome), Yvonne, Vicki (welcom...

2010-01-05T22:28:24.577-08:00

Dear Lynne, Scott (welcome), Yvonne, Vicki (welcome back), and Marcy, Daniel, and Renee and Karena-

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

THANK YOU so much for your kind words about Andrew Skurman.
I'm so pleased to hear your wonderful and insightful comments about both Andy's work and himself, the private person, the life-long student of everything chic.He is a rare person.
I can't help thinking that one reason you are so enthusiastic--is that while he has a lifetime of wonderful work and a great body of knowledge--he is not often in magazines and he is not as 'known' as his equals like John Saladino or someone like Robert Stern.
I posted this link on FACEBOOK (I hope you are all members) and have also had applause for Andy's wonderful houses.
Daniel: you make a wise point that 'authenticity in any form is to be admired'.
Andy's knowledge comes from a lifetime of work and study.
He has studied and visited all the Palladio buildings, every villa--and has been to Postdam to see Schinkel's work, and has traveled throughout Europe. He has studied and seen all the great English houses as well...Georgian...and all the great French in Paris and beyond. This is what passion and obsession does--he has a fantastic eye for proportion and authentic detail.
Note: whenever I am about to travel on a work project--Morocco, or Istanbul or Rome etc--I always shoot an email to Andy to get his advice. Though I know each place--he always has a great and insightful--and essential place--to see, a library, a room at the Vatican, a stairway in Florence, a building noone knows about in Paris.
I am sure I'll post again on Andrew Skurman. He has a lot of teach us all.
Cheers and onward...some great new posts in the works, DIANE

Wonderful interview with an icon! Of course I woul...

2010-01-05T21:49:13.996-08:00

Wonderful interview with an icon! Of course I would love to see even more contemporary art!

gorgeous post!! it is so hard for me ever to dete...

2010-01-05T20:20:34.121-08:00

gorgeous post!!

it is so hard for me ever to determine if my heart is really in 'georgian' or 'french.'

these are particularly beautiful examples of 'georgian' in this post.

but i think i love it all !

thank you & happy new year

Have seen and admired his work. great post. Auth...

2010-01-05T20:18:45.274-08:00

Have seen and admired his work. great post. Authenticity in any form is elusive. Daniel

Gorgeous post! Not only is Mr. Skurman a great tal...

2010-01-05T19:24:20.901-08:00

Gorgeous post! Not only is Mr. Skurman a great talent but he is a lovely person. All the photos are superb and I am particularly enchanted by the Lakeside Villa in the Mediterranean Style. Thank you Diane.