From the woods of Finland to the American Midwest, Saarinen Houses, a new book from Princeton Architectural Press, traces Eliel and Eero’s journey across the Atlantic over the course of 200+ pages (and as many beautiful photographs). The common theme is house-as-gesamtkunstwerk, designed from the coordinated furniture to the harmonious relationships with the landscape. The book focuses on the houses in order to illustrate the attitudes that the Saarinens developed over two generations and across two continents.
The earliest works of Eliel were in collaboration with artists, designers, and craftsmen such as Herman Gesellius and Armas Lingren, whom Saarinen initially founded a joint office with. They received major commission for the Finnish Pavilion at the 1898 Paris World’s Fair. From there, the trio became a leading firm and completed houses together that would chart the course of Saarinen’s career and attitude of total design.
These early homes had a strong streak of Finnish form-making and craftsmanship. Saarinen was also influenced by the Jugenstil movement, and as the work progressed, it became more modern. However, it never lost its tactile warmth or its attention to detail. The houses are masterpieces of stone, wood, and tile that create lively living spaces integrated with artistic treatments, often in collaboration with artists or artisans. Many of the textiles were created by Eliel’s wife, Loja.
In the US, Eliel and Eero began working together more, including on their own house in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The house features designs by both parents as well as their children Eero and Pipsan. After the patriarch’s death in 1950, Eero designed his mother a minimalist suburban home, which would be a precursor to the Miller House, the penultimate Saarinen dwelling and an icon of Modernism. The book tracks this body of work by the two architects, charting a clear narrative. The only omission seems to be the Canadian retreat that Eero designed for the Millers. There are plenty of reasons that it might have been left out, and it doesn’t detract from the overall narrative. All told, Saarinen Houses is a worthwhile compendium of work by the Finnish masters.
All images courtesy of Princeton Architectural Press