Casey Abby Blog's: ‘Nothing Else Like It’: Oklahoma’s Osher House Is a Shapely Delight

Friday 14 May 2021

‘Nothing Else Like It’: Oklahoma’s Osher House Is a Shapely Delight

A well-designed home that locals refer to as “the Flintstones’ house” didn’t take long to find a buyer in Tulsa, OK.

The midcentury marvel hit the market in late April for $695,000, and went under contract almost instantly.

“The design of the house is completely original. There’s nothing else like it, and it’s not even something you could build today,” explains the listing agent, Lori Lassman.

It’s known as the Osher House, and the architect Blaine Imel designed it for its original owner in 1963.

Exterior of home in Tulsa, OK
Vast Media

The distinctive dwelling was quickly dispatched by the agent.

“We got it under contract the first day on the market. [The buyer] has grown up in Tulsa and has always loved the house. He was actually interested in trying to buy the house before it was on the market,” Lassman says. “Fortunately for him, it came on the market, and he jumped on it on Day 1.”

Of its three bedrooms and three bathrooms, all boast unique elements—even in the walls.

“It’s stucco, but it just has a shape to it. Then there are stones that are integrated within the stucco, and aqua glass cutlets both inside and outside,” Lassman explains. “You can see them from the outside. But inside it is so cool, because the light will come through them almost like a little jewel box.”

The shape of the home’s roof is also unique, and the overhead shots really showcase the design.

“When you look at the aerial view, it almost looks like a resort,” she notes.

From that perspective, the home is quite singular. The roof is in an accordion shape, and the pool in the oval shape of an eye.

The current sellers bought the house in 2016, after the previous owners had lived there for 40 years. Luckily, the home didn’t require much in the way of renovation. The current owners revamped the bathrooms, removed carpet, and maintained the terrazzo floors.

“They renovated the three bathrooms and did fabulous floor-to-ceiling tile, kept the shape of the bathroom vanity, and did the quartz countertops,” Lassman explains. “They kept everything in keeping with the era and style of the home, and they did a really nice job with renovation.”

Most importantly for midcentury design fans, they also kept the original aqua toilet and tub intact.

Lassman says the kitchen is also in midcentury style. Everything within the cooking space is curved.

“Everything was very thought out, and there wasn’t a detail that was overlooked. There’s not a straight wall in the house,” she says.

There aren’t many straight lines outside, either.

“The pool was original to the house, but there wasn’t as much landscaping, so this seller added quite a bit. They love gardening and they added the koi pond as well,” Lassman says. “It’s just a really relaxing element to the backyard.”

All other whimsical elements aside, the stones and glass that protrude from the walls set the place apart. The original concept remains fuzzy, but was perhaps a nod to organic architecture.

“I don’t know if that was an inspiration from the architect or the original owner. To me, it’s an effort to give the home a feeling of being one with the setting,” Lassman says.

As for the aqua glass that Lassman says makes it look like the house from the cartoon show “The Flintstones,” its inspiration is also unclear.

“I don’t know if that was a request from the original owner. Maybe their favorite color was blue,” she says. “It reminds me a little bit of the Spanish [architect] Antoni Gaudí, but it’s not quite as crazy as Gaudí.”

Lassman says the home has found its perfect buyer and will be well-maintained for decades to come.

“It’s someone who appreciates the house as it is,” she says. “This isn’t a house where you’re going to go in and take walls down and make it into something else, because you’d ruin it.”