house. ♪ ♪ >> well, the miller house isn't >> well, the miller house isn't the only modernist residence in the only modernist residence in columbus. columbus. there were some other ones that
Dubai Opera House, there were some other ones that were built here, a few even were built here, a few even earlier, but nationwide, earlier, but nationwide, modernism was never a terribly modernism was never a terribly popular style for homes.
popular style for homes. and certainly not at the level and certainly not at the level of this one. of this one. >> in 1953, industrialist and >> in 1953, industrialist and philanthropist j. irwin miller philanthropist j. irwin miller commissioned eero saarinen to commissioned eero saarinen to build his new home. build his new home. >> some architects really and >> some architects really and truly tried to break completely truly tried to break completely from stylistic historical
from stylistic historical references. references. others not so dramatically. others not so dramatically. erro saarinen as an architect is erro saarinen as an architect isa little harder to categorize. a little harder to categorize. he didn't necessarily adhere to he didn't necessarily adhere to a style that went from building a style that went from building to building to building. to building to building. he looked at every work of he looked at every work of architecture as an individual
architecture as an individual problem that had a solution that problem that had a solution thatwas unique to itself. was unique to itself. >> the house was inspired by the >> the house was inspired by thepioneer of modernist pioneer of modernist architecture, meese vanner row architecture, meese vanner row and his world's fair pavilion. and his world's fair pavilion. but saarinen had the task of but saarinen had the task of making the miller house a home. making the miller house a home. >> saarinen took some of those
>> saarinen took some of those ideas and developed them in ideas and developed them in different directions to make it different directions to make it possible for the same stylistic possible for the same stylistic efforts to serve in a domestic efforts to serve in a domestic setting to function the family's setting to function the family'sneeds and purposes. needs and purposes. this needed to be places to cook this needed to be places to cookand sleep and all the things and sleep and all the things that go into family life.
that go into family life. the millers had five children, the millers had five children, and in that way, it differs from and in that way, it differs froma lot of modernist buildings a lot of modernist buildings that immediately leap to mind, that immediately leap to mind, like the glass house in new like the glass house in new canaan. canaan. we are in what is called the we are in what is called the children's playroom. children's playroom. this was a space that was meant
this was a space that was meant to be one where they could come to be one where they could come together to study, do lessons, together to study, do lessons, to play. to play. the skylight system provides the skylight system provides beautiful light in the house, beautiful light in the house, and it crosses the house in a and it crosses the house in a regular grid and it brings light regular grid and it brings lightinto even the areas farthest into even the areas farthest away from the windows.
away from the windows. so the house is bright even on a so the house is bright even on acloudy day like this. cloudy day like this. >> alexander girard helped to >> alexander girard helped to bring life to the home with bring life to the home with color and texture, often color and texture, often designing his own patterns for designing his own patterns for the curtains and rugs throughout the curtains and rugs throughoutthe house. the house. >> he had a place and a
>> he had a place and a whimsical nature to his work whimsical nature to his work that really meshed well with that really meshed well with what the millers wanted to see what the millers wanted to see in their home and it makes it in their home and it makes it highly personal. highly personal. alexander gerrard wanted to alexander gerrard wanted to customize thing and make this customize thing and make this appropriate for a particular appropriate for a particular commission or client, and you
commission or client, and you see a lot of that here at the see a lot of that here at the miller house. miller house. and it's, i think, alexander and it's, i think, alexander girard's presence in the high girard's presence in the high modernist interior that reaches modernist interior that reaches out and provides something to out and provides something to people that they can respond to. people that they can respond to.the conversation pit is always the conversation pit is always an eye catcher.
an eye catcher. you can see in a house hike this you can see in a house hike thisthe walls are marrible and the the walls are marrible and the floors are travertine. floors are travertine. it is not the sort of pace where it is not the sort of pace whereyou can paint the house. you can paint the house. so mrs. miller was very so mrs. miller was very interested in ways to keep the interested in ways to keep the house enlivened. house enlivened. you can see that even in the
you can see that even in the kitchen, features a rug on the kitchen, features a rug on the floor that was designed for the floor that was designed for the space by alexander girard and space by alexander girard and beautiful venetian glass tiles beautiful venetian glass tiles on the backsplash behind the on the backsplash behind the stove. stove. it adds a really strong note of it adds a really strong note of blue to the space. blue to the space. >> the miller house is an
>> the miller house is an impressive balance of the clean impressive balance of the clean geometry of modernism and the geometry of modernism and the bright color of domestic life. bright color of domestic life. >> it's a beautiful house all >> it's a beautiful house all around. around. it's been my great pleasure to it's been my great pleasure to show this house to people for show this house to people for the first time, and the comment the first time, and the comment that i get most often is that
that i get most often is that people feel that, you know, people feel that, you know, although it's a modernist although it's a modernist building and it's got a lot of building and it's got a lot of those typical hard surfaces and those typical hard surfaces and stones, steel, but it has a real stones, steel, but it has a realwarmth to it, in the decoration warmth to it, in the decoration and people respond strongly to and people respond strongly to that. that. they feel it's a livable
they feel it's a livable modernist building. modernist building. for the fan of modernist for the fan of modernist architecture, don't miss the architecture, don't miss the miller house because it rates at miller house because it rates atthe top. the top. ♪
house. ♪ ♪ >> well, the miller house isn't >> well, the miller house isn't the only modernist residence in the only modernist residence in columbus. columbus. there were some other ones that
Dubai Opera House, there were some other ones that were built here, a few even were built here, a few even earlier, but nationwide, earlier, but nationwide, modernism was never a terribly modernism was never a terribly popular style for homes.
popular style for homes. and certainly not at the level and certainly not at the level of this one. of this one. >> in 1953, industrialist and >> in 1953, industrialist and philanthropist j. irwin miller philanthropist j. irwin miller commissioned eero saarinen to commissioned eero saarinen to build his new home. build his new home. >> some architects really and >> some architects really and truly tried to break completely truly tried to break completely from stylistic historical
from stylistic historical references. references. others not so dramatically. others not so dramatically. erro saarinen as an architect is erro saarinen as an architect isa little harder to categorize. a little harder to categorize. he didn't necessarily adhere to he didn't necessarily adhere to a style that went from building a style that went from building to building to building. to building to building. he looked at every work of he looked at every work of architecture as an individual
architecture as an individual problem that had a solution that problem that had a solution thatwas unique to itself. was unique to itself. >> the house was inspired by the >> the house was inspired by thepioneer of modernist pioneer of modernist architecture, meese vanner row architecture, meese vanner row and his world's fair pavilion. and his world's fair pavilion. but saarinen had the task of but saarinen had the task of making the miller house a home. making the miller house a home. >> saarinen took some of those
>> saarinen took some of those ideas and developed them in ideas and developed them in different directions to make it different directions to make it possible for the same stylistic possible for the same stylistic efforts to serve in a domestic efforts to serve in a domestic setting to function the family's setting to function the family'sneeds and purposes. needs and purposes. this needed to be places to cook this needed to be places to cookand sleep and all the things and sleep and all the things that go into family life.
that go into family life. the millers had five children, the millers had five children, and in that way, it differs from and in that way, it differs froma lot of modernist buildings a lot of modernist buildings that immediately leap to mind, that immediately leap to mind, like the glass house in new like the glass house in new canaan. canaan. we are in what is called the we are in what is called the children's playroom. children's playroom. this was a space that was meant
this was a space that was meant to be one where they could come to be one where they could come together to study, do lessons, together to study, do lessons, to play. to play. the skylight system provides the skylight system provides beautiful light in the house, beautiful light in the house, and it crosses the house in a and it crosses the house in a regular grid and it brings light regular grid and it brings lightinto even the areas farthest into even the areas farthest away from the windows.
away from the windows. so the house is bright even on a so the house is bright even on acloudy day like this. cloudy day like this. >> alexander girard helped to >> alexander girard helped to bring life to the home with bring life to the home with color and texture, often color and texture, often designing his own patterns for designing his own patterns for the curtains and rugs throughout the curtains and rugs throughoutthe house. the house. >> he had a place and a
>> he had a place and a whimsical nature to his work whimsical nature to his work that really meshed well with that really meshed well with what the millers wanted to see what the millers wanted to see in their home and it makes it in their home and it makes it highly personal. highly personal. alexander gerrard wanted to alexander gerrard wanted to customize thing and make this customize thing and make this appropriate for a particular appropriate for a particular commission or client, and you
commission or client, and you see a lot of that here at the see a lot of that here at the miller house. miller house. and it's, i think, alexander and it's, i think, alexander girard's presence in the high girard's presence in the high modernist interior that reaches modernist interior that reaches out and provides something to out and provides something to people that they can respond to. people that they can respond to.the conversation pit is always the conversation pit is always an eye catcher.
an eye catcher. you can see in a house hike this you can see in a house hike thisthe walls are marrible and the the walls are marrible and the floors are travertine. floors are travertine. it is not the sort of pace where it is not the sort of pace whereyou can paint the house. you can paint the house. so mrs. miller was very so mrs. miller was very interested in ways to keep the interested in ways to keep the house enlivened. house enlivened. you can see that even in the
you can see that even in the kitchen, features a rug on the kitchen, features a rug on the floor that was designed for the floor that was designed for the space by alexander girard and space by alexander girard and beautiful venetian glass tiles beautiful venetian glass tiles on the backsplash behind the on the backsplash behind the stove. stove. it adds a really strong note of it adds a really strong note of blue to the space. blue to the space. >> the miller house is an
>> the miller house is an impressive balance of the clean impressive balance of the clean geometry of modernism and the geometry of modernism and the bright color of domestic life. bright color of domestic life. >> it's a beautiful house all >> it's a beautiful house all around. around. it's been my great pleasure to it's been my great pleasure to show this house to people for show this house to people for the first time, and the comment the first time, and the comment that i get most often is that
that i get most often is that people feel that, you know, people feel that, you know, although it's a modernist although it's a modernist building and it's got a lot of building and it's got a lot of those typical hard surfaces and those typical hard surfaces and stones, steel, but it has a real stones, steel, but it has a realwarmth to it, in the decoration warmth to it, in the decoration and people respond strongly to and people respond strongly to that. that. they feel it's a livable
they feel it's a livable modernist building. modernist building. for the fan of modernist for the fan of modernist architecture, don't miss the architecture, don't miss the miller house because it rates at miller house because it rates atthe top. the top. ♪