We spent the weekend in Rochester, New York where we heard about this local architectural curiosity, the “Pod” or “Mushroom” House designed by James H. Johnson Architecture for Robert and Marguerite Antell in the 1960s.

The design was actually inspired by Queen Anne’s Lace, but the four pods which rise up from the earth on stems of steel and concrete, certainly resemble a cluster of forest fungi. Mrs. Antell, a potter and ceramist, created the handmade tiles that cover the floors and the door was designed by furniture craftsman Wendel Castle. It strikes us as quite a decorating challenge, but the unique dwelling nestled among the trees — which remains in the Antell family and is a private residence — must be a total fantasy to live in, especially as the autumn brilliance arrives.

(Images: 1, Perinton Municipal Historian Collection; 2, C. Marcera; 3-5, James H. Johnson Architecture)