Storybook style, fairy tale, Disneyesque, Hansel and Gretelthese are all synonyms for what is surely the most delightful residential style of the twentieth century. With their romantic evocation of faraway lands and eras, storybook homes were created by architects and builders with a flair for theater, a love of fine craftsmanship, and above all a sense of humorattributes that make them especially endearing to the jaded modern eye. The storybook style was born on the backlots of Hollywood in the 1920s, where brilliant set designers first learned to evoke the exotic architecture of medieval Europe and the Middle East. Movie-going Americans became fascinated with these settings, and architects and builders were quick to capitalize on this enthusiasm. The whimsical style soon spread from coast to coast, and the unforgettable results are portrayed here.By Arrol Gellner and Photographs by Douglas KeisterArrol Gellner is a practicing architect, long-time syndicated columnist,
and author of three books on architecture. He writes the popular
blog Architext. Douglas Keister has authored or co-authored over three dozen books on historic architecture, including a
landmark series on bungalows.308 color and b/w imagesAmerica’s Whimsical Homes of the 1920s308 color and b/w images