A California Mid-Century Interior

A band of architects dreams up a whole new way of living. Floor-to-ceiling windows, wood by the armful, single-storey homes, the patio doubling as a summer living room: welcome to the era of the Case Study Houses, those prototypes of the modern home (pool included) that generations have been daydreaming about ever since. In their wake came pieces that haven't aged a day. Among them: Ray and Charles Eames's Lounge Chair, Isamu Noguchi's organic coffee table, Hans Wegner's Wishbone chair. And this is where you raise an eyebrow. Hans Wegner, the Dane? California Mid-Century? Indeed, and here lies the twist: this icon, like so many of the era's signature designs, hails from Denmark, Austria or Japan as much as from Los Angeles. Together, they shaped the California myth: a joyful mix of good ideas from elsewhere, left to soak up the sun. The result? A style that invites the garden into the living room, blurs the line between indoors and out, and speaks fluent teak, walnut, moulded plywood, organic shapes and low-slung lines. Step inside.