I returned to Scotland to a cold, wet, windy Spring having left 26 deg and a warm, sunny Autumn in Hawkes Bay. What was I thinking of? On the way to Glasgow Airport from Gaz’s on Saturday (yes, it was over a week ago!) we stopped at House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park for morning coffee.
The morning was cool but sunny and although there were plenty of spring flowers it was apparent that summer was a long way off.
The Dining Room looking to the main entrance hall
The Dining Room and its fireplace
The Oval Room
The Oval Room
The Oval Room
Thw ceiling light in the Oval Room
My favourite by far: The Music Room.
The Music Room: Piano wall
The Music Room onto The TerraceToday I went to Glasgow's House for an Art Lover for lunch with Anna from Glasgow whom I met in Nw Zealand. I am not a particular fan of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and would not have gone but for Anna's invitation. I am so glad that I did. The music room alone was worth the visit.
In 1901, Glasgow’s most famous architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh entered a competition to design a ‘House for an Art Lover’. The competition was set by a German design magazine which sought entries to design ‘a grand house in a thoroughly modern style’, and challenged architects to develop ideas which were fresh and innovative. Mackintosh worked on his submission together with his new wife, Margaret Macdonald, a decorative artist. The result was a portfolio of outstanding designs,which have since been admired by Mackintosh enthusiasts throughout the world.
Whilst the Mackintoshs’ entry was disqualified from the competition on the grounds of late submission, the designs were awarded a special prize for “their pronounced personal quality, their novel and austere form and the uniform configuration of interior and exterior.”
For the first time, Mackintosh and Macdonald were allowed complete freedom of artistic expression, their designs not conforming to client specification and demand.
The six windows of the Music Room and the terrace
