Brick Oven Fictions

Tuscan Room an oven by TBO

Building a traditional baking device into a modern house requires some fiction.

As in all good fiction, the plot must be plausible.  Often I begin with what is evident, the site, the style of the home, the era of the home, and other aspects of what in fiction is called 'setting'.

TBO oven in Ventura CA, with stone roof

Stone oven building in Audrix, France

Pietree Farm brick oven

Even in the most modern homes, there is a line

Art Deco design oven by TBO

of reasoning that went into the design.  As a designer (aside from builder), I am accustomed to noticing the elements of the space that are key in the home design.  These can be carried into the design of the brick oven.

Pietree stone building by TBO

Stone, stucco, and slate cottage by TBO

Older homes, even historic homes, offer clearer clues.  Matching brickwork, woodwork, and detailing from a house might be incorporated into the oven design.

clay oven in Costa Rica

In some instances, an owner wants an 'old world' look and feel to the oven and its environment.  This is fun and interesting. Having traveled to many countries where brick ovens are common, I have a visual memory of the 'look and feel'.