Marching off to bed is a skylarking affair for the four children in the Rasbach family. To reach their rooms they have to cross a bridge—a real bridge over real water— that links the living and sleeping halves of their two-part house in San Antonio, Texas. The dual plan, conceived by Roger Rasbach, a residential designer, shows individuality and imagination and offers some uncommon advantages. Under two roofs, separated by a 24-foot garden court, many seemingly conflicting activities take place simultaneously. Children sleep quietly in their rooms while guests dine or dance in the other house. Grown-ups can listen to hi-fi or piano in the living room while TV or electric trains whir in the family room across the court. The whole family enjoys big-house privacy in medium-house space admirably supplemented by well planned areas outdoors. And though the house is fully screened from the street, the glass walls facing the garden court, terraces and pool let Mrs. Rasbach keep her eye on the children wherever they are, indoors or out.

Very much a part of its southwest setting on a one-and-a-half acre lot, the house is closely allied to the outdoors. During nine months of the year the Rasbachs live and entertain on the terraces around the pool almost as much as they do in their air-conditioned house since careful outdoor planning provides shade, channels the breeze, controls the glare and the sun. The wide, heat- reflecting roof, like a ten gallon hat, shields the big windows of the house. Some of the walls are a honey-colored, indigenous stone, some are white stucco (in 4-foot wide panels that won't crack). Redwood with dark stain frames the house; both stone and wood are repeated indoors for unity of texture and design.

Living and dining rooms in the Rasbachs' house are actually one huge room divided by a two-way fireplace with a tall wood-paneled chimney breast that emphasizes the height of the peaked ceiling. Around three sides of the room the ceiling is lowered, giving a more intimate air to areas like the conversation and music corner, opposite page, top. "We have always been amazed," the Rasbachs say, "at how easily our house expands for large parties and how intimate it becomes for small groups." The dining room, opposite page, lower left, is cheerful for family dinner, which is always served there, while the travertine-top table and terrazzo tile floor are eminently practical for a family with four children. At the same time the table is long enough to seat ten or twelve guests. When there are more, small tables for four or six are set up in the living room and adjoining outdoor areas, above, where dinner is eaten by candlelight augmented only by pool and garden lighting. For still larger parties, buffet supper is served from dining room; there is dancing later in living room. White walls make a flattering background for a free-handed mixture of furnishings: furniture of Oriental, French and contemporary American design, a Venetian chandelier, an Indian carpet, Japanese screens.

The Rasbachs love to cook and Mrs. Rasbach always prepares the main dishes for her parties. But they frequently entertain informally too, and on such occasions everybody helps. For both solo and chorus operations the kitchen is equally convenient. The key to its adaptability is the island work center in the middle of the room. The island includes a double, stainless steel sink of sit-down height, an automatic dishwasher with built-in waste disposer, vegetable bins and copious storage for place mats, china, silver, flatware, paper goods and cleaning supplies. Parked beside the island is a mobile cart which carries in one trip what two hands would carry in ten. At an easy distance behind the island is the cooking center which includes a six-burner countertop range, a wall oven and a built-in broiler-barbecue. In the adjoining wall are two built-in refrigerators. There is an auxiliary freezer in a storage room that opens onto the service court.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | November 1959

 

Airily encased in lacy grillework and crowned by twelve pyramid skylights, this unique house designed by the architect of the United States Pavilion at the Brussels World's Fair embodies ideas as exhilarating as they are unexpected. It was sponsored by the Celanese Corporation who sent designers John and Earline Brice on a country-wide trek seeking inspiration from native American design sources for the furnishings of the house.

 

This one-story house for a young family- Mr. and Mrs. Howard Devol and their two daughters-includes no attic or basement. But in its 3.488 square feet exceptional storage is allotted for the bedrooms, living- dining area and kitchen wing. Every closet or cupboard is located where it is most convenient and fashioned to fit the precise size and shape of its contents. Everything in the house is stored at point of use and there is none of the clutter inevitable in poorly designed closets. 

The bedrooms have walk-in closets as large as 5' x 6'; all bathrooms have towel and hamper cupboards and counter cabinets. A 9' long cabinet is the decorative star of the dining room and a 13' entertainment center is the heart of the family room. More storage is concealed in the wood walls of these rooms. Walls of kitchen, laundry and service hall are lined with a variety of cabinets; three huge outdoor closets adjoin carport and terrace.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | September 1959

 

Congenial to trees that dominated the site before construction began, this rambling flat-roofed house, above and at top of page, which was built by an architect for his own family, has the mellow settled look you associate with "homestead." From the drive you see the upper, bedroom level as a well integrated part of the overall design which includes the garage joined to the house by a covered entrance walk. The strong scale of the stone fireplace chimney visually anchors the elevated section to the long one-story base; and the wide roof fascia above the vertical redwood siding forms a bold horizontal ribbon that links the house, covered walk and garage and emphasizes the solid, down-to-earth look. All of the exterior trim is painted black.

"The irrational rationality" of the greenhouse-porch, right, like the sculptor's bridge in Dean Hudnut's article, is the central idea that gives the house its imaginative quality. Set into the heart of the house, the porch is visible from all the main living areas. It is screened, appropriately for the midwest climate, and roofed in clear plastic. In winter, storm sash replace the screens and the porch is heated. Water flows in the pool all year and evergreens flourish in the planter area.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | August 1959

 

Three elements color, materials and accessories – can take a kitchen out of the workaday class and into the realm of leisure living. When Dr. and Mrs. Goddard Du Bois remodeled a kitchen, porch, pantry and closets into one big room for cooking, family activities and informal parties, they chose a sophisticated color scheme of blue, white and black. It is carried out in two versions. In the kitchen emphasis is on white and black: white for the ceiling, countertops and the wood cabinets above the counter, black for those below. Blue curtains and blue glass are the color accents. Beyond the cooking island, the scheme is reversed. The ceiling is painted blue, bench and banquette are upholstered in blue plastic, the curtains are blue-and-white. Black dining chairs, white globe-shaped lighting fixtures, white-topped table are the accents. Warmth and bright color come from mahogany paneling, a copy of modern painting, a garden view. A black-spattered white vinyl floor links the two areas.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | August 1959

 

Surprising and sudden as it always seems, small children grow into big ones. Unexpectedly the house is hopping with their teen-age projects, parties and friends along with the activities of their enthusiastic if less lively parents. These are the flourishing years of family life, the years that can be the best, as well as the busiest if the house works equally well for both generations. If it doesn't, it may seem as if bedlam were built in.

Key to the success of this house  is that it gives a fair share of independence and privacy to both parents and children. Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Solton have a daughter Jamie, 16 and a son Steve, 18. For their Beverly Hills home they firmly stipulated a playroom and patio for the teenagers, a bed-sitting room and terrace for themselves. The family shares the major rooms, of course, as it shares most interests and activities, and also has fun around the landscaped pool, and outdoor areas. But when the young people want to rock 'n roll and play Ricky Nelson they have their own territory to do it in and they can charge in and out of the playroom without disturbing their parents. Each generation also has complete individual privacy in the well secluded bedrooms. The Soltons say the plan works perfectly. They want their children to enjoy dancing and swimming parties at home and to be able to have overnight and week-end guests. And they entertain a great deal themselves. In this happy household both generations can enjoy these pleasures painlessly.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | June 1959