The House for an Art Lover – Charles Rennie Mackintosh – 1996
The House for an Art Lover was designed in 1901 by Mackintosh as an entry for a competition for a German, modern design magazine. The competition was not won by Mackintosh, in fact he was disqualified for not producing the amount of drawings specified in the competition entry. The judges of the competition were however impressed with Mackintosh’s work and he received special recognition for his designs. The design of this building was not realised until 1989 when work was begun on The House for an Art Lover. The building was completed in 1996 by the architect Andy Macmillan and engineer Graham Roxburgh along with the help of many craftsmen and women, who used Mackintosh’s original drawings, to recreate his vision.
Beautiful carvings such as this one above add great detail to the building’s exterior.
The Interior does not fail to disappoint either. The white interior that Mackintosh has become famous for creates a wonderful and harmonius space with beautiful details like the light above and the hidden window seats.
The Music Room. In my opinion the most stunning in the house. Its size and attention to detail create another wonderful space.
In stark contrast to the first two rooms is the hallway (pictured above), which leads to the dining room, also a much darker room but still a lovely space full of detail.
The House for an Art Love has the honour of being my first building and first proper experience of Rennie Mackintosh. I have only ever seen Mackintosh furniture and various pieces designed by him in museums over the years.
The experience was incredible and quite emotional to be in the presence of such a building.
For the love of buildings 