A HOUSE is the sum of at least a thousand parts. How well they mesh together depends largely on careful selection of architect, site, materials and equipment. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Dretzin's house in Chappaqua, New York, is a case in point. They wanted charm, simplicity and ease of upkeep. 

THEY MADE A POINT OF SITE: They realized that a truly satisfying country house is keyed to its surroundings. The property they finally selected is a lovely five-acre tract of woodland overlooking a small lake. There are great outcroppings of rock overgrown with minuscule mosses and ferns; wild laurel and dwarf evergreens cluster the slopes; tall oaks and beeches offer shade.

THEY MADE A POINT OF GOOD PLANNING: The success of a house is often in direct ratio to the understanding between the architect and client. Long before they were ready to build. Mr. and Mrs. Dretzin discussed the house with their architects (Katz-Waisman-Blumenkranz-Stein-Weber. Archi- tects Associated). By the time they were ready to build there existed a lively understanding that assured a sympathetic interpretation of their needs. They enumerated their requirements and preferences in answer to a questionnaire from the architects. 

THEY MADE A POINT OF COLOR: Color is a very personal matter, especially in your own house. Here the pattern was set by the owners' enjoyment of vivid hues. In collaboration with the Rahr Color Clinic and using HOUSE & GARDEN colors, a coordinated scheme was worked out for everything from walls to hand towels. Each color is appropriate to its place and creates a sense of continuity from room to room. Thanks to the perfect match afforded by Martin-Senour's Nu-Hue system, there was no guesswork, no experimental mixing.

THEY MADE A POINT OF INDIVIDUALITY: Because they delight in the yeast of originality, the Dretzins specially commissioned some of the furniture and fabrics. Designed by Isamu Noguchi: the low coffee table of black Belgian marble, the dining room table in red-brown African cocobolo wood, the aluminum light fixture formed like drifting clouds. Woven by Trude Guermonprez: the living room curtains with bands of variant texture to diffuse the light in subtle patterns; coverings for the armchairs and corner couches which are almost three-dimensional in their depth.

Mr. Rapson designed this house for Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Lopez, to be built on a wooded hilltop in the environs of Chicago. Winner of First Prize in the division for smaller houses (6 rooms or less) the structure covers a considerable area, giving the im- pression of being much larger than it is.

Referring to the first floor layout, the plan works as follows: From carport, which is simply an open shed, a covered passage leads along one side of the court to the entrance. Entrance hall, on the same level as the dining room, kitchen, etc., looks down into the high-ceilinged living room which is several steps below it. Stairs lead up from the entrance hall to the two bedrooms on the second floor. This unit is set at right angles to the lower floor and projects southward to cover a section of the terrace.

The property is richly wooded-more so than we could show without obscuring the house. As there was no glare problem, every effort was made to emphasize lightness and openness in the design, to take advantage of the view outside and to promote a feeling of simplicity and unity within the house.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | August 1945

A hilltop in Connecticut, with a wide view of Long Island Sound is the site for this house designed by the architect for himself, his wife and two children. It is a dramatic house, well-planned and thoroughly workable, but full of the unexpected and unusual-for example, the ramp which takes the place of a stairway.

The design is planned for large-scale entertaining. By placing the family living room on the second floor the whole area of the first floor becomes available for entertaining. The guest room may be used as a small sitting room or as a dressing room when the pool is in use. The arrangement of the master bedroom, bath and dressing room is interesting, as is the way in which the children's room, di- vided by a folding partition, may be opened up as a large daytime play space.

Besides the native stone used in the two chimney walls, and the broad expanses of glass, the exterior surfaces are mainly plywood and corrugated sheets of asbestos-cement; roof is slate-colored slag.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | August 1945

It has been said about this Northern Californian house that it has the merit of a well-made violin. Convenient in design and adapted to modern techniques of living, this house is nonetheless romantic and poetic in intent. In a landscape which is just beginning to develop an architecture of its own flavor, it is a translation of the spirit of the place into forms which are completely livable.

The house is built on a hilltop overlooking farmlands, forested hills, a distant city, an ocean bay. On the crest of the hill just above it, there is a small garden of native flowers and shrubs, sheltered by an encircling redwood grove. The outside of the house is redwood which has weathered to a silvery gray. There's little lost motion in the house and few decorative devices. Its beauty lies in its sheer proportions which coincidentally seem to be determined by the requirements of the design and the logics of the plan. Here is a house that seems part of the majestic countryside, yet is fluid enough in line to stand on its own merits.

The house was planned for year-round occupancy without servants. Halls are virtually eliminated-passages. being incorporated into the usable living area. The plan is open except where segregation and privacy are desired for the kitchen, the bedrooms and the library. The into-eachother dining room, living room and gallery are plotted along a diagonal axis connecting the garden and ocean views. This lengthening and fusion provide a spaciousness and sweep of interior vistas which optically doubles the size of the rooms and makes the whole house seem larger. Even though there is a great deal of space given to broad planes of windows, there are still many unbroken wall expanses. With the exception of the foundation and chimney, the house is constructed entirely of wood. It was built for the most part by unskilled labor. The flush doors are the only millwork in the house. A conjunction of extensive natural wood surfaces and painted surfaces changes the color scheme subtly and offers a charming variety with no hint of flatness or sameness. Doors, window frames, closet fronts are done in a variety of colors both in sequence and in contrast with adjacent woods.

Except in the baths and the kitchen, the ventilation is separate from the windows. The glass is fixed and the ventilation comes through louvred openings. Doors also add extra airiness. The elimination of large movable glass areas simplifies construction and insulation, reduces main- tenance and makes watertight windows possible in this stormy coastal area. Whatever else the house may be, it is fundamentally a pavilion for the enjoyment of the view, respectful of the landscape which contains it.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | July 1945

Lt. (i.g.) Morton D. May and Mrs. May wanted space but not a palatial coliseum. They gave Samuel Marx and his associates Noel L. Flint and C. W. Schonne free rein to design their home in Ladue, Missouri. Here is their excellent solution. The architects studied their land and followed its natural contours, even paralleling rocky formations in the stone-work on the house and in the garden. Walls were built of reclaimed, local, handmade brick. To satisfy Lt. May's color sense (he is one of the outstanding amateur color photographers), they lashed on an awning of cadmium yellow. The interior spaciousness, divided by leatherette folding walls, is matched by a plan to leave the grounds wild for the most part, keeping the man-made a meld with the natural. Franz Lipp landscaped it.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | January 1945

The Beckstrandt house is ambidextrous in that it manages to face two ways at once and get the most out of each exposure. To the west, the house overlooks the Pacific Ocean and a broad expanse of coast. Since this side faces winds from the sea, the almost continuous glass windows are stationary. On the other side, where the wind is comparatively quiet, the Beckstrandts have a patio and landscaped gardens for outdoor living in the abundant California sunshine.

The large central living room connects with a corner dining room at the north end and with a small sitting room opposite the window wall. The sitting room converts easily, by means of a folding partition, into a guest room, which opens onto the patio. The master suite of bedroom, lounge, dressing room and bath (at the southeastern end of the house) opens onto its own private garden.

The Beckstrandt house has an all-steel skeleton which was prefabricated in Los Angeles, then transported by truck to Palos Verdes and erected on the site.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | Augsut 1946

Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins invited a young couple interested in building to spend a day in their new house. They discovered the good points of this house, its comfort, its easy operation. The young couple was certain a modern house would be stiff as a theater lobby and just as impersonal. When they saw it, they were delighted with its warmth and airiness, surprised by the feeling of ample space on the inside even though the house is actually not large. 

Mr. Breuer says there are four devices which make any room seem larger: 

1) Horizontal window openings which extend interior space to air, sky, deck or garden. 

2) Elimination of unnecessary doors and partitions which cut up space. (In this house, the living room and dining room are separated only by the central fireplace, and even that is open on two sides.) 

3) Interior planes extended to the outdoors carry the eye beyond the enclosed area. 

4) Simple, continuous elements give an impression of greater sweep-one bookcase wall instead of a scattering throughout the room; one large window in place of many little ones.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | Augsut 1947

Mr. and Mrs. Jacques Makowsky of Kings Point, Long Island, like to live at home.

They have four children, many relatives, innumerable friends, and they enjoy seeing them all frequently-at home. They have entertained 50 people at dinner, yet lunch for four in this house is delightfully intimate. It is that kind of house.

With such a philosophy of living, it is necessary to have a large place, but one in which the individual will not feel lost. In this house Edward D. Stone, the architect, has skillfully balanced spaciousness with intimate areas. As a result, the house is comfortable, congenial, relaxing. Only 55 minutes from Mr. Makowsky's New York printing plant, the five-acre property at Kings Point slopes gently to the Sound. Built in a slight hollow which rises to the north, the house is hidden from the road, while on the other side it opens wide to a view of the water. The first floor is built on two levels with most of the rooms overlooking the loggia and living room, five steps down. This lower area is generous in all dimensions; high-ceilinged because of the sunken floor and visually extended to the outdoors through glass walls. The rooms on the higher level are smaller, more secluded, with a view of the garden to the north, and a southerly glimpse of the Sound through the loggia and living room windows. There is nothing static about the living area, one room leads naturally to the next and there are no doors to bar the way. Like a French Baroque garden, it has infinite variety and contrast.

When the Makowskys decided to build a house, they admittedly knew little about architecture, but they were determined to have a house which would be fun to live in, easy to maintain and possess a sense of continuity with the past. They decided to learn about houses. They bought books on the subject, subscribed to magazines, dis- cussed, noted. They "psyched" themselves and their requirements. This was during the war, when home building had virtually stopped. A less determined family would have postponed everything. Instead, they purchased land, drew up plans and built a model to test the design. V-J Day was celebrated by breaking ground for the house.

At every turn there are original ideas, excellent space planning and modern conveniences. Although this is a thoroughly modern house, it has a kinship with the past. There are waxed brick floors, whitewashed brick walls, the warmth and richness of wood paneling and everywhere an abundance of green.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | July 1947

Raymond Loewy is an industrial designer, the stamp of whose taste marks an unbelievably wide range of objects which you buy or use every day of your life (lipstick to locomotives; the new Studebaker, buses, the Lucky Strike cigarette package, refrigerators, ranges, radios). He is, moreover, a man of convictions about both design and living, believing that anyone who works as hard as he does needs relaxation in sharp contrast to his usual life. So, forsaking his Colonial farmhouse on Long Island, he has built a tiny house in Palm Springs, California, packed with ideas, many of them frankly experimental. 

The over-all plan is framing a pool with living wings, each room leading directly to the outdoors. Then the wide use of glass to afford protection and, when curtained, privacy, so that indoors and outdoors are inextricably fused. With this technique, rooms can be compact and easy to care for. They could never be cramped with such wide horizons. Mr. Loewy's use of native materials and colors serves to make his house a part of the desert, as the desert is part of the house. And though desert color is sharply accented, the effect is restful, since it is natural. Here is a house basically simple to maintain, undemanding and easygoing, which makes it perfect for anyone who enjoys relaxing in the country.

Though Raymond Loewy designed this house primarily for leisure, he can never resist trying out his de- sign theories to see if they are practicable. 

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source: House and Garden Magazine | May 1947

Three small boys, the oldest of them seven, are indirectly responsible for the plan of one of the most successful modern houses built since the war. At Lawrence, Long Island, the house which architect Marcel Breuer created for Mr. and Mrs. Bert Geller's family, and most of all for their three children, is a cogent case for the modern approach to design.

This is tomorrow's house built today. It is important because it is brand new thinking, realized in wood and stone. Its architect is a realist. He knows that children are noisy and that parents want quiet, so he has planned a house where two generations can live intimately but not in a heap. He understands that servants are scarce, so he has geared the house to require a minimum of upkeep. Hungarian- born Breuer understands the American passion for the sun, and has at his fingers" ends all the accepted tenets about indoor-outdoor living. He is sensitive to the qualities of materials, knows how simple things like fieldstone and cedar siding. when they are juxtaposed, can set each other off excitingly. He works in restrained, natural colors, interrupting them suddenly, sharply, with flashes of primary reds, yellows and blues.

All of these factors, taken separately, do not in themselves equal an important house. It is the way in which they have been interrelated which is the secret of the success of the Geller house. As if he had used a pair of giant scissors, Marcel Breuer has taken what is at heart a two-story-and-basement house, cut its stories apart and set them in a spreading, wing-like pattern on the soil of Long Island. This is a complete departure from the old-fashioned bungalow, where bedrooms radiated at random from the main living rooms. Here, the living-dining-service floor is in one wing; the family's floor is a separate unit connected by the entry hall; carport, storage room and guest bedrooms are in a building of their own, adjacent to the main house. Mr. Breuer's own, technical description of the plan is that it is "bi-nuclear, composed of two distinct entities, with a satellite building."