Property of Mr. and Mrs. William Rogers, Greenwich, Connecticut | architect: Henry Hill

If getting to know yourself is a prerequisite for getting a house that suits you, then it is no wonder that Mr. and Mrs. William Rogers' house is exactly right for them and their five-year-old son, Billy. The Rogers, who live in Greenwich, Connecticut, engaged as their architect Henry Hill, of San Francisco, and therefore had to do much of the planning over a distance of some 3,000 miles. This meant considerable soul-probing and writing down, in copious notes, all that they knew about themselves in particular, and most of what they thought about nature and architecture in general. 

The notebook was a labor of love, with highly practical results. By the time Mr. Hill made his first visit to Greenwich, he had already learned much about his young clients and what kind of house they wanted.

Mrs. Rogers is an amateur artist, with a Pennsylvania Dutch background of efficient house-keeping. To suit her, a house has to have line, color and composition, and a kitchen so well organized that in it she can bake a cake without taking a step. For Mr. Rogers, who is in television and radio, a house has to double as a background for parties and a quiet oasis for thinking. (The study is his office.) Young Billy Rogers had no special theories, but it was assumed that he'd be in favor of any and all practical ideas; for ex- ample, a front hall paved with flagstone, absolutely impervious to wet or muddy rubbers.

There are many reasons why the Rogers' house seems bigger than its actual size. It is an integral part of its heavily wooded site: Great window-walls open to a terrace which runs clear across the rear, and to a view of a creek and a picturesque old stone bridge forty feet below. The same materials, local stone and natural woods, are used both inside and out. It has an open floor plan: The entrance hall, living room, dining room, and study are divided by only partial partitions; you can see above some, around some, between others. And it is literally built around strategic storage space: If order adds to a feeling of spaciousness (and it does), then the Rogers planned wisely; there is a place for everything, so it is easy to keep everything in its place.

The wide front door is painted terra cotta on both sides, and flanked by glass panels. The flagstone-paved entrance hall is a continuation of the walk, another link with the outdoors. There are low, built-in storage cabinets between hall and living room. A great stone fireplace warms both living room and study, to the left. To the right, beyond a wall of bookshelves, is the dining room. In all three rooms the color scheme is the same, and keyed both to the outdoor planting and to the soft wood tones of the walls: brown to beige and gray, and bright terracotta to gold.

Since Mrs. Rogers likes to cook, she wanted an efficient kitchen. To bake a cake or turn out a batch of cookies, she simply stands at a counter, finds everything within reach. Electric mixers are in a cupboard above, and flour and sugar bins are below; the refrigerator is at the right; the eye-level height oven is built into the wall at left. The rest of the kitchen is just as well planned, and has a wide breakfast bar that doubles as pass-through counter and sections off an area that serves as butler's pantry for big parties.

The bedroom end of the house, too, shows careful attention to small details that make for comfortable living. One room is for TV and occasional guests; it has two foam-rubber couches that roll up and down like hospital beds, is a favorite spot for reading and relaxing. Young Billy's room, right next to his mother's and father's, is ruggedly furnished and easy to keep neat. The master bedroom has built-in storage cabinets that form a U: one cabinet doubles as a dressing table; others house many items, including Mrs. Rogers' sewing machine; together, the counter tops form a long table for cutting patterns.

As the Rogers take stock of their house, they remember the notebook where its plan really started. They remember the clippings, the rough sketches, the thousands of words describing themselves and how they wanted to live. And they are sure that it pays to write down all your ideas long before you are ready to start building your house.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | November, 1953