@ModernistEstates records the very best in post-war architecture for your prying pleasure
If you’ve ever walked through London, or indeed most British cities, you’ll be no stranger to the post-war Modernist architecture that populates so much of it, bringing geometric shapes, acute angles and concrete detailing to England’s green and pleasant lands. If you haven’t, blog, book and Instagram account Modernist Estates provides a well-loved alternative means of experiencing it – thanks to graphic designer Stefi Orazi.
She founded the blog, which lists examples of Modernist British architecture which are up for sale, along with estate agents’ pictures and the market value, after coming across them on her own hunt for a place to buy. “Essentially it came about because I was looking for somewhere to live, so I started trawling internet sites, finding estates,” Orazi explains. Before long the hunt for property gems grew into something else entirely. “I’m a bit of a geek, and I spend my weekends basically walking around council estates,” she says. “When I first started looking for somewhere I realised that I’d been walking around past these buildings, and not really giving them much notice. Suddenly when you’re drawn to them, and realise a little bit more and start looking, you realise there’s a familiarity that’s quite comforting. I guess I’m just looking that little bit closer.”
Orazi’s fascination with Modernist estates was first sparked by a fortunate turn of events when she initially moved to London. “I didn’t know about the Barbican then, but Tony Chambers, who’s the editor of Wallpaper* Magazine, was like ‘well I’ve got a spare room’, and I was like ‘okay!’ so I moved there. It was fantastic. I really landed on my feet. It wasn’t a particularly fashionable place at the time, people thought it was quite weird to live there, but it’s such an awesome environment. So that’s where my interest first came from.” These days, of course, homes in the Brutalist estate sell for extremely high prices. “Fashions change, and it’s a time when we’re taking a second look. We’re choosing these places as homes that 20 or so years ago would have been seen as council estates, and people wouldn’t have looked twice. Whereas now suddenly they’re really desirable.”
The blog and its accompanying Instagram account make for educational viewing, exploring the history of the 'cluster block' while showing off Trevelyan house in east London, for example, or considering social disparity on the famous Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate in Swiss Cottage. Most importantly, though, it provides an always welcome opportunity to peek into the homes of others, and to enjoy Modernist architecture and interior design touches at their finest.
Happy Monday! #AnOtherHappyMonday
