The Cliff May Mondavi Estate

One of the big local news stories that I've been keeping tabs on this year is the selling and buying of the beautiful Cliff May designed Mondavi  Estate here in the Napa Valley. Cliff May was a west coast based architect best known for being the "Father of the California Ranch House." My own home has elements of Cliff May's design ideas and May's influence can be seen all around Napa. He designed one of the most amazing wineries in the area for Robert Mondavi in 1966 and he also designed the Mondovai's home in the '70s.

The spectacular Mondavi Estate was just sold at auction where the starting bid was $13.9 million dollars. I don't know who the lucky well-heeled new owner is but I hope they appreciate May's design and preserve the home's original style. Below are some photos of the Mondavi estate along with a video highlighting the natural beauty of the Napa Valley and Cliff May's design.





Mondavi Estate from Sheldon Good and Company on Vimeo
Recommended Links:
- Mondavi Estate Auction Site
- Napa newspaper article about the Mondavi Estate auction
- Official site of the Mondovi Winery
- Cliff May, The Father of the California Ranch Home

Happy Holidays!

Modern Christmas Tree Mobiles

 

Happy Holidays! I recently picked up a vintage holiday craft book called Christmas Magic by Margaret Perry, which was originally published in 1964. Inside there are lots of fun & creative ideas for holiday themed crafts. Some of my favorite projects in the book are these modern style Christmas tree mobiles (or 'mobile Christmas cards') that you can make out of construction paper or any pliable materials you like depending on how durable you want them to be. I thought I'd share the instructions, which should appeal to anyone trying to decorate their home with some mid-century style holiday cheer.

Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter

The new documentary, Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter premieres nationally Monday, December 19th on PBS - American Masters. If you didn't have a chance to see it in theaters this year, this is your opportunity to catch it on TV. More information about the film can be found at the PBS website.

Watch Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter on PBS. See more from American Masters.

Ice Cube on Eames

In case you haven't heard, Southern California is currently playing host to Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945 - 1980. This ambitious six-month long exhibition celebrating mid-century design and post war art opened in late September and runs through March 2012. More than 60 institutions in Southern California are participating in the event, which will also include a ten-day Performance and Public Art Festival in January. Their latest promotional video features rap artist Ice Cube (confession time - I think 'Straight Outta Compton' is one of the best records of the '80s) who briefly talks about studying architecture drafting before he turned his attention to music and discusses L.A. landmarks. Ice Cube's sincere appreciation for the design of Ray and Charles Eames is apparent in this great video.



If you happen to live in Southern California or are planning to visit there soon stop by the Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945 - 1980 website for information on where you can see some of the exhibits and attend events.