Ken Tate (http://www.kentatearchitect.com) was recently named by Architectural Digest as one of the AD100 top architects and designers. Located outside New Orleans, Ken draws from traditional styles, both the formal and the vernacular, to create houses that communicate to the spirit and the senses. In this interview, he talks about how traditional craftsmanship and materials lend both patina and depth to an estate he designed in Mississippi called Windy Hill.
KT: Human beings resonate with materials. There is some kind of universal wisdom in the psyche that connects with the spirit of materials. If you were to build this house with new materials, the psyche would know the difference. The connection with the past would be lost. You must use real materials as often as you can to create something that is more than mere illusion.
KT: A primary source of inspiration for Windy Hill is early Norman architecture. When I was looking for exterior stone for the house, I sent a picture of an old Norman farmhouse to David Williams Masonry in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, (http://williamsmasonryinc.com) and asked, “How can I get stone that looks like this?” David told me that we had to cut it from the face of a mountain where some parts of the stone had been exposed to the elements longer than others, creating natural variation in color and texture. So that is what we did to create an instant appearance of age and patina.
KT: The paneling in the long room was made by a firm of English woodworkers called Hallidays (now Hallidays America in New Jersey). After making the paneling in England from old Russian pine, the master carpenters came to Mississippi to install it. Afterward, they finished the wood with a liming paste they brought with them from England. This is a late-eighteenth-century technique that leaves a light, waxy finish that I like because it’s a little more casual than paint and because it creates built-in patina.
KT: I also drew inspiration from Normandy for the shape and craftsmanship of the loggia. Made of heart pine, the timber-frame loggia is constructed in the mortis-and-tendon style, with wooden pegs securing the joints. We worked with a group of local Mennonite carpenters who made the loggia in their shop. One day, I was driving by and I saw it sitting next to a farm field. The carpenters had assembled it to make sure that everything was correct before disassembling it and installing it at Windy Hill. The loggia is attached to the house by stone brackets built into the exterior wall and the support beams sit on hand-chiseled stone plinths. In the old days, timber frame structures always rested on stone instead of earth in order to keep the wood from rotting.
KT: Because of these materials and craftsmanship, Windy Hill enraptures you a little. People who visit say, “I just love the house.” But they don’t quite know why.
This interview is adapted from Ken Tate: A Classical Journey, for which I wrote the introduction. It will be released by Images Publishing in Spring 2010. This and other books by Ken Tate can be ordered from http:/www.amazon.com and http:/www.powells.com
The photographs for this post are provided courtesy of Ken Tate Architect. Read the rest of this entry »
“I always go for the really fine, extraordinary pieces like this 18th century Italian arm chair. The carving is a flawless expression of the time and place this piece represents. I also like the fact that this is the original finish. It looks old. If you leave the finish alone–and even the upholstery, if possible–the true quality of the piece comes through so beautifully.
This 18th century Swedish cabinet has very fine, champfered paneling. Its size, the texture of its worn paint, and detail gives it a lot of presence in any room. The chairs (also Swedish) are rococo in style, with beautifully carved cabriole legs. I love the color and texture of the old leather seats and painted wood. They go so beautifully against the pale gray cabinet.
The iron-frame orangerie window (French, 19th century) is one of a pair. I mirrored the other one with silver leaf. The 20th-century Lucite chair has wonderful, true lines, which is why it can mix well with pieces from another period. I love putting modern pieces with very simple lines next to older ones. Clear pieces like these play beautifully with the light–and almost disappear.
This delightful garden party peaked with the presentation of a cake 
meringues. Expecting them to taste like styrofoam (how could something that insanely perky looking actually taste good, too?), I did not discover how delectable they were until the end of the party. Since I couldn’t figure out how to sneak one of the trees home without anyone noticing, I had to make do with just a few unforgettable bites–the perfect sweet ending to a divine afternoon.
The Southern Cosmopolitan (Rizzoli: April ’09) takes a fresh look at styles shaping the South’s architecture and interior design today. A selection of luxurious houses from Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, Atlanta, Natchez, Alexandria, and beyond celebrates the sophisticated side of Southern style with a mix of modern art, cherished antiques, and exotic textiles. Featured in tantalizing color photographs are select private residences decorated by leading tastemakers, including Thomas Jayne, Amelia Handegan, Nancy Braithwaite, and Hal Williamson.