Allan and Janis Greenberg House

Allan and Janis Greenberg House

This house has design features meant to accommodate three generations. Throughout the house, indoor and outdoor paths run along social spaces rather than through them. Guests arrive along a curving flagstone path that snakes through what Neutra referred to as an “instant” forest. Inside the house, the walkway continues along the south wall in the style of a forest path. Another path on the south side of the house allows visiting grandchildren to move from their bedrooms to the large playroom without disturbing the adults. The playroom, located down the hillside, contained a television, which Neutra dryly commented in his project description allowed “those members of the family or guests who enjoy looking at television [to] indulge, without victimizing those who still enjoy interesting conversation.” The wide southern corridor in the living area is demarcated by cork tile and a ceiling meets the underside of the roof’s overhang. Allan Greenberg expressed his satisfaction with the design, noting that he could not understand how Neutra offered his work for such a modest fee.

Adapted from Neutra – Complete Works by Barbara Lamprecht (Taschen, 2000), p. 214.