Dr. Darling House

Dr. Darling House

This was Richard Neutra’s first wood-sheathed house, and it is clad in redwood. The aesthetic continues inside, where wood panels contrast with Neutra’s more typical selection of smooth white plaster. The exterior offers similar contradictions, including in the eccentric proportions that echo those of the neighboring Victorian homes. While the façade’s volumes have a vertical thrust, the siding emphasizes its horizontality. These clashes do not continue on the rear elevation, where the verticality reads more clearly, giving the home a Janus-like effect. 

Adapted from Neutra – Complete Works by Barbara Lamprecht (Taschen, 2000), p. 125.