House Beautiful has launched a new "Archive Dive" series, showcasing a curated collection of luxurious and historical garden buildings from its past issues. The series draws from the publication's extensive archives to provide inspiration for today's outdoor living spaces, beginning with a feature on a lath house from a January 1967 issue.

This initiative matters as it provides homeowners and design professionals with a rich, visual history of outdoor architecture and landscaping. By revisiting these timeless designs, the series offers a valuable resource for those looking to create functional and elegant extensions of their homes. The immediate consequence is a renewed focus on the potential of garden structures—from practical greenhouses to elaborate pavilions—as central elements of landscape design, blending historical aesthetics with modern functionality.

What We Know So Far

  • The new series is titled 'Archive Dive: The Most Luxurious Garden Buildings', according to a report from AOL.com.
  • It features a collection of spectacular garden buildings pulled from decades of the magazine's past issues, as reported by House Beautiful.
  • One highlighted structure is a lath house from a January 1967 issue, originally located at Houghton P. Metcalf's home in Hobe Sound, Florida.
  • The series also showcases a flowering pergola from a June 1989 issue, which was part of artist Beverlye Hyman's home in Montecito, California.
  • An urban rooftop terrace designed by Anthony Hail for his San Francisco townhouse, first featured in August 1968, is another example presented in the series.
  • Other historical structures include a 1970s pool pavilion and a 1920s greenhouse that was rediscovered and converted into a hot tub area in the 1980s.

Explore Dream Garden Buildings from House Beautiful

The "Archive Dive" series offers a detailed look at several distinct and inspiring outdoor structures. Each example serves as a case study in design, demonstrating how these buildings can define and enhance a garden. The initial feature revisits a lath house from 1967, a structure designed to provide a unique microclimate for plants. A lath house is a building made of thin, flat strips of wood, creating a slatted roof and walls. This design offers what the original article described as a "haven for plants that call for lots of light and air, but also need protection from the sun." It is a practical yet elegant solution for cultivating delicate flora.