Just north of San Francisco is tiny Corinthian Island terraced with houses overlooking a boat-dotted cove, like a vignette of the Italian Riviera on San Francisco Bay. To Mr. and Mrs. Peter Mantegani, who had lived here for years, the views of cove and bay had never ceased to be a delight; but the Manteganis' house—old, complicated, and cluttered with stairs—had become a burden. They wanted a modern house: one that would be small, yet have room enough for the large parties they love to give—and one with a minimum of stairs. A site was at hand—the adjoining property, in fact. But it was a narrow strip of hill that tumbled waterward at a precipitous 60° angle—steep even by Bay Area standards. To many homebuilders, such a lot might have seemed impossibly difficult. The Manteganis' architect, Joseph Esherick, solved the site problems, however, with one bold stroke. He cantilevered the house out from the hill on massive concrete T-beams and the resulting effect, which the double tier of decks so handsomely underscores, is that of the prow of a ship thrusting outward from the land. The glass walls, running the full width of the house on both levels, open it to bay, sky and sun and, together with the broad decks, contribute importantly to the sense of spaciousness indoors. You enter the house on the upper floor, but stairs indoors and out (only one set of each) lead down immediately to the heart of the house. Here the openness of the living room, which occupies fully half of the lower level, makes you forget you are in a really small house.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | September 1960

 

The spark that gives spirit to a house shines brightly in this one built for interior designer Marco Wolff on a hilltop in Hollywood, California. Though small in size and scope the house displays rare imagination, both indoors and in its outdoor surroundings: The front door is hidden by a high-walled courtyard. The living-dining room is a windowed gallery deftly designed to take in a superb view ranging from the Santa Monica mountains to the Pacific. The garden is a limpid pool, and at its edge is a romantic pavilion for the enjoyment of sun, moon and stars. But the most satisfying element of the whole house is the pervading sense of unity and harmony achieved by the architects who designed both building and grounds. With imagination they molded space, light, site and nature itself into a classically simple design distinguished for its quiet and beauty.

THE WATER GARDEN behind the house affords the delight of a suddenly discovered oasis. Steps and walk of terrazzo lead from living room to pavilion that frames panorama of distant mountains.

 

Rising dramatically above the beach at Casey Key, near Sarasota, Florida, this captivating house is built almost entirely of concrete. Its nobly pillared façade and airy, terrazzo-paved interior suggest, in spirit, a romantic and fanciful Roman villa. Architect Paul Rudolph designed the house for Mr. and Mrs. Frederick A. Deering, a mature couple whose children are grown and married. The Deerings enjoy their house the year round and find its design fosters a wonderfully tranquil way of life. In contrast to its formal exterior, the house has a delightfully informal four-level plan. Solid and sturdy, the building will resist hurricanes, and a silicon coating on the walls fends off rain. All the walls and pillars are built of lime concrete block, an exceptionally hard type because of its lime content. It is the color of pale golden sand. The pillars are faced with cypress of the same golden tone which also forms a decorative frame around the concrete block panels as well as the house itself. Both front and back walls can be opened wide to the breeze, but privacy is assured either by lattices or by glass fiber screening.

 

Reflecting the benefits of modern production methods, volume purchasing, and the most comprehensive engineering employed by its producer, Scholz Homes, Inc., the world's largest organization devoted to the quality home concept, it will provide a superior home at less cost than by any other building method.

The famed Don Scholz designs are world renowned and have been featured in every national home magazine for their unusual and outstanding character. These designs have been assembled in the "Famed Scholz Design Collection."

 A young couple's first house, like their first year of marriage, is rarely completed without compromise. Building a house is a tug of war between the budget and construction costs and in the process some dreams have to yield to a lack of dollars. Fortunately, this setback need not be fatal. The couple whose hearts are young and gay may also have heads that are wise and wary. They will discover that some things are essential in a house and some are not. In the interests of cutting costs, complicated design and construction are expendable and so are fancy features and gadgetry. What should not be yielded is good design and adequate space, wisely planned.

This small house in the Pacific Northwest illustrates the point precisely. In designing a house for his young wife, his baby daughter and himself, James Jacobs faced the same difficulties most young married couples encounter today. His budget was minimum and building costs were high. Desirable sites were scarce and land was expensive. The size of his house and number of the rooms had to meet typical mortgage requirements for houses in the $15,000 to $20,000 category. And resale value and building code restrictions had to be considered in the design.

Working within these formidable limitations, he created a house which is surprisingly spacious. It stands on a typical 80-foot by 100-foot lot sloping downhill. To avoid the expense of tailoring the house to the slope, it is raised above ground and is built in an economical form: a wood post-and-beam framework enclosed by plywood walls and a flat roof. This solution also makes possible a carport and 16-foot by 16-foot studio-workshop under the house. Quiet and privacy from street and neighbors are assured by a window-less front wall and by side walls that have only two high bedroom windows. But the interior is cheerful because a center court, right, skylights in the kitchen and bathrooms, and a glass wall facing south flood the rooms with light.

The plan also gives the Jacobses privacy that is rare in a small house. The living-dining room, left, is at the back of the house so it is not exposed to view when the front door is opened. The baby's room near the front is a hall's length from the living room so adult activities and entertaining won't disturb her. The glass enclosed center court serves as a buffer, too, but its great value is in the spaciousness it creates: it extends and enlarges the living room, the hall and the Jacobses' own bedroom, right, because it is joined to each of them with ceiling-high glass walls. A garden room enjoyable all year, the court lights and enlivens the center of the house.

Another device that makes this small house spacious is unity of structure, materials and decoration. All the flooring is cork; all walls are white; all ceilings are hemlock boarding; all wood posts, beams and trim are fir, stained black. Color accents forestall monotony. In the living room, the armchairs are orange, the sofa, curtains and rug blue, and the cabinets blue and orange. The bedrooms have bright bedspreads and curtains, painted doors and cabinets.

The feeling of spaciousness is also enhanced by the rear glass wall of the living-dining room. It opens to a wood deck which is fine for family lounging and barbecues and enlarges the indoor rooms when the Jacobses entertain. The galley kitchen, below, partly open, partly screened from the dining room, below right, is a particular asset during parties; guests are in and out of it all evening, helping with food and tending bar. The Jacobses have found their house pleasant to live in, easy to take care of and to pay for. Minimum in cost, it is notable for good design.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | May 1960

 

In suburban houses built thirty or forty years ago front porches and first floor windows faced the street because the outlook was pleasant, cars and passersby were few. Today, these houses (and some new ones, alas) need a screen to give them privacy from constant traffic. A fine solution, if your building code allows it, is a front wall and gate. They will shield the front door and windows and the land between can be a delightful entrance court, an area serving as a buffer to the street. These are what architects Harold Levitt and Ernest Le Duc added to the Martin Horrells' Los Angeles house, and they are wholly congenial to the style of the house.

The search for extra space is the compelling factor behind most remodeling. Yet in many houses space in the basement goes begging because there is a bugaboo that basements are damp, dark and undesirable. Today, however, an air conditioner, a fan and dehumidifier can cope with moisture and mustiness. And good lighting, new wall and floor surfacing materials, built-ins and a free hand with bright paint can create a basement room that is ideal for romping youngsters or teenagers. In Mr. and Mrs. Frank Taylor's big 1887 house in Greenwich, Connecticut, architect Spencer Johnson applied some of these devices in a playroom for four young boys. From what had once been a basement kitchen, then a dingy, pipe-festooned cellar, he fashioned a gay room that is fun for the children and saves wear and tear on the living rooms upstairs.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | April 1960