Synopses & Reviews
Modernism eschews historical references and ornament in favor of pure forms. In homes and furnishings, this translates into dramatic symmetrical compositions, geometric shapes, and a fondness for open spaces. San Francisco Modern is the first book to survey modernism as it is seen in many magnificent Bay Area residences. Graced with dramatic landscapes and light, San Francisco has inspired some of the world's most creative and influential architects and designers. It has also thoroughly embraced the modern aesthetic. In this richly illustrated tour of some of the Bay Area's most striking homes, author Zahid Sardar unveils 32 premier examples of modernist exteriors and interiors, from apartments on famed Russian Hill to spacious lofts in the funky South of Market district, and from new homes built in Oakland's fire-ravaged hills to stunning houses in the wine country. With a foreword by Mario Botta and an introduction discussing the origins of Bay Area modernism, San Francisco Modern is an impressive sourcebook of contemporary style, one to be embraced by architects and designers as well as home owners looking for inspiration.
Review
Reviews From:
House and Garden
San Francisco Examiner
From: House and Garden
Eames lounge chairs are not the only thing the houses in Zahid Sardar's San Francisco Modern have in common. Happily, they are also united by their breezy ability to meld the indoors and out. From Dan Friedlander's chic SOMA compound to a cozy Russian River ranch by Jonathan Staub, Bay Area living has never looked so truly inviting.
From: San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco Modern is an elegantly written, beautifully shot tome on a subject that breaks new ground for the local scene. While most San Francisco architectural writing has focused on the city's gingerbread, Victorian houses of yore, Sardar's book takes a clear-eyed, hard-edged look at trend-breaking homes of the future, as conceived by such local notables as Jim Jennings, Stanley Saitowitz, Mark Mack and Richard Fernau, among others.
With a foreword by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art architect Mario Botta and a historical introduction that draws parallels between today's modernists and such West Coast predecessors as Irving Morrow, designer of the Golden Gate Bridge, William Wurster and the suburban houses done for Palo Alto developer Joseph Eichler, San Francisco Modern is a freshly conceived, smartly designed addition to the literature--and look--of California architecture, and the relationship it bears to its beautiful surroundings.
About the Author
Zahid Sardar is the architecture and design editor of the San Francisco Examiner Sunday Magazine. His articles have also appeared in many national magazines. A native of Bombay, today he lives in San Francisco.
J.D. Peterson specializes in architectural photography and publishes an award-winning on-line magazine called Ruse Magazine. He lives in San Francisco.
Mario Botta is an internationally renowned architect. He designed San Francisco's new Museum of Modern Art.