'Moderne' Houses

Osbert Lancaster's Parody of Moderne Houses - '20th Century Functional

Moderne houses, or to use their formal name 'International Moderne' houses arrived in the UK as a reflection of the Moderne movement in architecture that was sweeping Europe. It was called 'Moderne' in the UK as a nod to the continent where the International Moderne movement had sprung up around architectural schools such as Bauhaus.

Moderne houses were satirised as 20th Century Functional by the great Osbert Lancaster in his 1930's book 'Pillar To Post'.

Restrained Moderne

'Restrained Moderne' is a house style that emerged quickly after the arrival of pure Moderne. It was a style assembled for people who were seduced by the clean lines of the Moderne movement but who were slightly put off by the brutal nature of the flat-roofed houses that it produced. Restrained Moderne was a uniquely British fudge with the brutal lower lines, and horizontal mullioned windows, ofset by a nice safe roof 'like your mother had'.

See Also

Is My House 'Art Deco'?

References

Cartoons and Coronets: The Genius of Osbert Lancaster (Frances Lincoln Publishers, 2008)

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