The Hill House Flashcards
1) Function / Fitness for Purpose
> Mackintosh designed the Hillhouse as a home for William Blackie and his family.
> He wanted a suburban retreat from the industrial city of Glasgow but to be close enough to commute back by train, if needed.
> Helensburgh was the ideal location, only minutes from the station with stunning views of the Clyde & beyond.
2) Function / Fitness for Purpose
> Mackintosh designed a playroom for the children upstairs, away from the public rooms downstairs, where they could make as much noise as they wanted.
3) Function / Fitness for Purpose
> He also positioned the house, south facing this meant they could make the most of the sunlight throughout the day and this would also cut down on heating & lighting bills.
4) Aesthetics / Style
> Mackintosh developed his own style called the Glasgow Style - a combination of of organic and austere geometric designs eg) in the famous Rose motif used throughout Hillhouse.
> It is stencilled onto the walls + used in stained glass, lights, carpets + decorative tiles.
5) Aesthetics / Style
> His aesthetic ideas were highly influenced by his collaboration with his wife Margaret and her Art Nouveau decorative style.
6) Aesthetics / Style
> The influence of austere Japanese design can be seen clearly throughout the Hillhouse.
> Japan began trading with Europe in the late 19th century + Japanese style was very fashionable.
> Traditional Japanese interiors, eg) black panelled tea rooms + dividing screens can be seen in the geometric lattice designs - in the chairs, windows + light fittings.
7) Visual Elements - Colour
> There is a lack of strong colours
> In the entrance hall it is dark + imposing with black panels + beams contrasting with the light filled, white, uncluttered living room.
> This creates different atmospheres.
8) Visual Elements - Colour
> Splashes of pink from repeat patterned stencilled roses along the walls + in the stained glass light in the dining room, brighten up + soften the white, stark spaces + create warmth.
9) Visual Elements - Colour
> The purple stained glass in the dark oak panel, in the library are very traditional masculine colours used in the 1900s.
> They were meant to depict + separate from the rest of the house.
> This male dominated space was used by Mr Blackie for his business dealings.
10) Materials / Techniques
> The client had insisted upon no bricks + plaster or wood beam construction, + no red-tiled roof, as traditional in the west of Scotland.
> Instead he wanted grey, roughcast walls + a slate roof
11) Materials / Techniques
> The Hillhouse is mainly built from traditional split-boulder rubble which was rarely used in Scotland.
> Locally sourced stone was used for the main part of the building, with more innovative design areas being ordered from the quarry + finished on site.
> The materials suffered from the elements over time +
are currently being restored under a mesh box.
12) Materials / Techniques
> Mackintosh was seeking a consistant approach however the render being applied on a daily basis meant each batch was slightly different + a patchy appearance was the unwanted result.
> To help this, Mackintosh ordered a final coat of pure cement in attempt to unify the treatment.
13) Target Market / Audience
> The Hillhouse was designed + built for Walter Blackie in 1902-1904 as a family home
> Blackie was initially surprised at the architect’s youth, but after visiting other houses he had designed, he was convinced he was the right person to build the house.
14) Target Market / Audience
> Walter Blackie had purchased a plot in Helensburgh, to the west of Glasgow, for the house, where many
business-men, whose wealth had come from the industrialised city, had settled.
15) Target Market / Audience
> Before creating an elevation drawing or floor plan, Mackintosh spend some time in the Blackie’s home to observe their everyday life.
> By analysing the family’s habits, Mackintosh could design every aspect of the house, according to the needs of each user.
