Dr. Henry and Mrs. Betty Corwin House

Dr. Henry and Mrs. Betty Corwin House

In Henry and Betty Corwin’s house, brick, glass, and tongue-and-groove redwood are used in strong geometric compositions. Both outside and inside, dark slate flagstone floors echo these patterns. The pathway to the house encourages a sense of procession, which is furthered upon entrance inside its two-story foyer. In the living room, horizontal planes of brick and ash cabinetry are disrupted by the fireplace, a recession in the smooth white plastered wall. This space was well suited to entertaining, something the couple expressed an interest in. In response to his clients’ objections to a long, rectangular house, Neutra shortened its interior cross walls which resulted in a close proximity between the master bedroom and those of the children. Neutra and Henry Corwin frequently exchanged letters as the design was finalized, some of which are remarkable for their frankness, and a large section of their correspondence reveals some equivocation about the footprint of the living room in the context of the heavily wooded and rocky landscape surrounding the Connecticut house.

Adapted from Neutra – Complete Works by Barbara Lamprecht (Taschen, 2000), p. 283.