Josef and Gertrud Kun House #1 (All Electric House)

Josef and Gertrud Kun House #1 (All Electric House)

For Josef and Gertrud Kun’s house, Richard Neutra employed a system developed for the VDL House, using a wood chassis with a continuous truss bracing. Set on a very steep hillside lot, the house unfolds below its entrance which is located on the third and highest floor at street level. Forty-foot balconies offer extensive views while inside, glass remains a feature, including in the kitchen where it is used for a drainboard and tabletop. While a subtle, silvery gray tone was used for the kitchen walls, a lower bedroom had a dramatic red ceiling, offset by cream-colored walls.

The house is also historically significant as the first subject for Julius Shulman when he was still an amateur photographer. After showing Neutra his work, the architect hired him to capture his subsequent projects, thereby launching Shulman’s career in architectural photography.

Adapted from Neutra – Complete Works by Barbara Lamprecht (Taschen, 2000), p. 114.