An eclectic assortment without formal rules, post modernism allows for a look backward while taking a giant step forward. Designers return to some traditional elements that were thrown out by modernists, but they inject individuality and even humour into their designs. They re-interpret the best of the past while adapting it to their own region or local context.

This program takes apart the broad term "modern". We review the origins of modern styles that strip away artifice and take residential architecture in a new direction of flat roofs, straight lines and walls of glass. From the first designs by Le Corbusier to boxes on stilts, the modern style takes many forms and remains a driving force in design today.

Art deco and moderne originated in Europe and were marked by stylized ornamental detailing. We will visit homes that stand as works of art, featuring mosaics, detailed metalworks magnificent stained glass. Only a few homes in Canada including Ottawa's French embassy were built during the styles' short life before World War II.

We look at the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and the imprint he left on residential architecture in North America. We consider why he is one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, and visit one of the many homes he designed in the suburbs of Chicago Illinois. We also trace his influence on Canadian design by visiting a contemporary home in BC that bears the strong horizontals of the Prairie style, and a remarkable free form organic design by Ron Thom in Ontario.