About

The Story Behind The Man About The House

It started, as these things often do, with a building. A flat-roofed, glass-walled, cantilevered act of defiance against the suburban brick veneer that surrounded it. I drove past it every day for three years before I finally pulled over, got out of my car, and just stood there on the footpath like a complete weirdo, staring at someone else’s house.

That was the moment I knew I had a problem. A mid-century modern problem.

What This Site Is Actually About

The Man About The House is a blog dedicated to mid-century modern architecture and design — the buildings, the furniture, the philosophy, and the occasionally unhinged genius behind all of it. We are talking about the period roughly from the 1940s through the 1970s, when architects decided that walls were optional, roofs should be flat, and living rooms should make you feel like you were floating above the landscape.

This site draws deep inspiration from the work of Tim Ross — comedian, author, and arguably one of the most passionate advocates for mid-century architecture. His ability to make people care about concrete and glass with equal parts humour and reverence is something I aspire to, even if I will never quite nail his delivery.

Important note: This site is not officially affiliated with Tim Ross or any of his projects. It is a fan-driven endeavour, born from a shared obsession with buildings that look like they were designed by someone who genuinely believed the future would be better.

Who Writes This?

I am someone who has spent an unreasonable amount of money on design books, dragged reluctant friends to open houses for buildings they could not afford, and once rearranged an entire living room because the sight lines to the garden were not quite right. I have opinions about ceiling heights. Strong ones.

By day, I work in a building that would make any self-respecting modernist weep. By night (and weekends, and lunch breaks), I write about the ones that do not.

What You Will Find Here

Expect deep dives into iconic mid-century homes and the architects who dreamed them up. Explorations of design principles that still feel radical sixty years later. The occasional rant about why developers keep demolishing masterpieces to build grey boxes. And honest reviews of the furniture, books, and experiences that keep this particular corner of design culture alive.

If you think a Breuer chair is just a chair, this might not be your site. But if you have ever walked into a room and felt your shoulders drop because the proportions were just right — welcome home.

Last updated: March 2026