Fairytale 1950s Chalet Architecture of the West Coast

Were they expecting snow in New Mexico in the winters of 1950? It’s an architecture that should seem a little out of place in a climate like Orange Country, California, but for some reason, it’s sort of charming in a sad and nostalgic way; like watching re-runs of I Love Lucy and realising the ‘American Dream’ feels more like a kitschy, faded vision these days. Photographer KayLynn Deveney has a thing for the quirky storybook homes built throughout the American Southwest in the 1950s and ‘60s and went on a quest around suburban neighbourhoods in California, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Nevada, snapping them for her book, “All You Can Lose is Your Heart“.

The book is available to buy here.