Source: Harmon, Tiffinee. “The Neutra VDL House Review.” Academy of Art. Holliger, LA 108. Art Review. May 22, 2022. 6 pages.

The Neutra VDL House Review

Author, Tiffinee Harmon

How do you promote optimism and a sense of well-being in your life? Contemplate for a moment on a few of the source(s) or outlets of your greatest joy and sense of self. Is it a career, a fulfilling relationship(s), where you live, an active lifestyle, the great outdoors, artistic expression, or, perhaps, travel? How about architecture? Architecture’s influence in our lives is often overlooked. 

How humans live their lives within their respective homes is unique, similar to a fingerprint. The position of belongings, the activities within the spaces, the views and sounds, the exposure to natural light, and the transitions from room to room, the mess, the harmony, all sum up our habitual experiences.

These comprise a sense of well-being and (the degree of) a quality of life. How one relaxes, eats, sleeps,.. how one hangs their towels in the bathroom, or what they see when they look out their kitchen window, or how they walk from the living room to the bedroom, all have psychological currency. To what degree does the placement of ceilings, walls, and windows, the volume of spaces, and the arrangement of domestic furnishings, contribute to a pleasant atmosphere? Can architecture influence our perceptions and behavior? Can it even make us happy?

An enormous amount of research on the psychological implications and advancements of architectural design exists dating back centuries. In 1975, geographer, Jay Appleton, proposed his ‘Prospect-Refuge’ theory that posits that humans derive feelings of safety and pleasure from inhabiting environments that offer both views and a sense of enclosure [privacy] (Dosen and Ostwald).

Fascinating information has been distilled on the subject, though what is more compelling to me than the research is the renowned physical evidence that embodies and supports the research and the notion of the biological power of architecture. The purpose of architecture goes well beyond logistics, ornamentation and protection from the elements. There is a responsibility as an architect to stimulate the end-user, hopefully to an enriching end; to what degree they advance this ideal in the design is up to the architect/designer. What intrigues me about these pieces of architecture are the design choices that the architects made and continue to make in taking into careful consideration a holistic purpose.

An exemplary contribution to this theory is the home built by Viennese-American Modernist architect Richard Neutra (1892 - 1970). Neutra is known for his exceptional residential architecture in the International style built during the early to mid-20th century. “He believed that architecture should be a means of bringing man into harmony with nature and himself”(Parrott-Sheffer). In 1932, Neutra designed and built a home for his family as a living laboratory to study the biology of how humans respond to architecture with the intention to show that a restriction of space doesn’t have to equate to a restriction of well-being. Neutra’s focus for an enhanced well-being within a small footprint was to establish a sense of expansiveness by bringing the outdoors to the interior while simultaneously providing total privacy. Neutra named the project “The Van der Leuw Research House” in homage of Dutch theologian and historian, Gerard Van der Leuw, who helped fund the project. The home is now known as the “Neutra VDL House” (Neutra and Neutra).

It’s been a dream of mine to visit this historic home, as it is located in Los Angeles where I live. What makes this home even more prolific is that the main structure burned down in 1963 (garden house was spared), and the home was rebuilt to the same footprint (2000 square feet) by Neutra’s architect son, Dion. Richard was still alive, and together with his son, they designed the slightly modified version and rebuilt this iconic home a 2nd time. There were minor adjustments made to the original design and additions of new appliances in the 2.0 version in 1964, thus, providing more layers to assess what changed and largely what remained the same…and lives on today (Neutra and Neutra).

I finally experienced this work of art first hand; In my opinion, the only way to truly experience architecture to be inside of it! Neutra’s experiment was a resounding success! His innovative use of nature (air, light, and landscape) in collaboration with mirrors, glass walls, strategic placement of openings and planes, along with color choices and quality materials produced an extraordinary achievement in how architecture can “expand space, not confine it”, and can enrich and harmonize the experiences of its inhabitants (Neutra and Neutra).

My visit to the Neutra VDL House was blessed with perfect temperature and sunshine. Approaching the home, I took notice of the lush landscape in varied heights, towering trees, the 3-story vertical louvers in front of a portion of the exterior, and plenty of windows,… but with the inability to see into the house. This first impression of transparent glass windows designed to keep views intact on the inside of the home, yet only allow light in from outside without reciprocating with any views into the house from the outside, was telling. 

Neutra’s hallmark of bringing the nature of the outdoors inside while maintaining privacy sounds simple, but it is quite exceptional in the way he did it. Upon entering the home’s foyer, I was greeted with subtly different ceiling heights, floor depths, glass walls, openings onto a landscaped courtyard garden with enormous trees that seemed outstretched and playful, intertwining between the modern beams and floating glass. There was a seamlessness of outdoors and indoors, and it took careful observation to denote where one ended and the other began. Some of the trees seemed to be in the interior, but none of the trees were actually enclosed. There was a floating stair case of metal and carpet-wrapped wood slats traversing up in a medley of more mirror and glass on one side and openness on the other. As I explored the home with slow, deliberate observation, there was an uncanny presence of nature in every room, hallway and nook. Neutra achieved this semblance of ‘outside in’ by first designing and planting native plants, fast growing trees, and planting them strategically to be enjoyed from inside the home and outside of the home, both in total privacy. Then, he used glass walls and glass doorways, paired with a combination of reflective mirror and natural tones to simulate expansion. The living room is located on the 2nd floor on a corner and is furnished with low mid-century furniture. The high ceiling glass on each of the 2 adjacent corner walls stops at the height of the furniture, and from this height down to the floor there a is solid wall with a built-in bookcase. The expansive windows from a seated position offered views of endless sky and greenery. 

Neutra’s strategic application and placement of materials, specifically his subtle way  staggering materials that absorb light and define edges with materials that reflect light and blur or eliminate edges, to extend the expansiveness of space and one’s perception of it throughout the house is the concept that was the most profound to me. The sense of discovery in exploring how his concept engages the end-user through the home is extraordinary, because the execution is subtle, not bold, and required me taking a closer look. The result for me was a playful and thought-provoking experience.

Every step I took was an expanding journey, whether it was traversing a corridor on the same horizontal plane (floor), or while descending or ascending between floors. One of my favorite spots in the home is several steps up on an open staircase between the 2nd floor and the 3rd floor. As I looked through one side of the open staircase down onto the 2nd floor dining room, there is this mix of overlapping glass, mirror, and open spaces, which conceives a sense of expansion. It was a mind-bender for me, looking at it to identify what I was actually seeing to decipher what is a reflective plane (mirror), and what is a transparent plane (glass), or just open air.

Another example is the kitchen design. In my opinion, it’s a masterpiece of Neutra’s signature form and function, especially considering it is one of the tiniest kitchens I have ever seen. The kitchen also shows some of the amendments to the original design when it was rebuilt post-fire. At first sight, there was white formica, paired with warm, mid-century wood cabinets, and all of the top-of-the-line appliances that were available in 1964, the latter was added in the reconstruction, inclusive of a stove, microwave, built-in counter-top blender and can-opener, and a Neutra-custom wood-paneled dishwasher. The modest sized pantry was converted to an elevator for the elder Neutra to access each floor more easily, as well as for transporting groceries to the [2nd floor] kitchen. The kitchen, despite its size, felt perfect, spatially, once I was inside of it. The ceiling in the square shaped room is approximately 7’ high with a portion of the perimeter of the ceiling extending to 8’ in height. Neutra and his wife were approximately 5’4” tall, so he built the upper kitchen cabinets from the counter to their eye level (Neutra and Neutra). Being the same height as the Neutras, I was happy to experience being able to reach the top of the cabinets without the aid of a step-stool. Simple pleasures! Instead of a wall extending up vertically from the top of these cabinets, there was just a void or bay of open space, which opened up to a glass wall farther away that extended upward to the same height as the perimeter 8’ ceiling, providing gorgeous views of the trees and the backyard vegetation. It was quite unlike anything I had seen before. It was absolutely stunning. It is worth noting that my significant other, who toured the Neutra VDL House with me, is 6’4” tall, and felt the kitchen was perfect in size, also. That was an interesting observation that lends itself to the genesis of Neutra’s design: “a living laboratory” and how architecture can “expand space, not confine it” (Neutra and Neutra). The home has manifested exactly as his original intentions with continued observations and studies!

Every detail has been considered; every corner or intersection of walls, or latch has a special custom Neutra touch. From the built-in bookcase shelves to how walls meet, or seemingly meet. The day I visited the the Neutra VDL House, there was even an architect from Sweden who traveled to Los Angeles just to visit this house. He was inspecting how each door closed and latched, musing the craftsmanship and design. The materials utilized are classic, sturdy and timeless; Wood, steel, tile, glass, carpet, boucle, and linen are examples. Neutra’s selection of quality materials specifically in earthy colors are perfect vehicles to transport his innovative concepts; they are easily received by the end-user. The home is absent of visually-assaulting or contrasting colors and textures to disrupt the process of the experience. The woods have weathered beautifully, the neutral nature tones of warm, happy, yellow and comforting beige textiles, pale orange with hints of a vintage sage green and muted mediterranean blue enhance the spaces with subtlety and symbiosis. Everything fits and feels indigenous, and, in my opinion, the colors allow the concepts to come alive.

The Neutra home feels lived in, modest, yet luxurious. There is a sanctuary essence in the home; It captures the ‘Prospect-Refuge’ theory perfectly and evokes an undeniable sense of harmony, at least for the amount of time that I was in the home. I think it’s important to observe the role of architecture in our personal lives, as well as within the livelihood of our community. How has architecture impacted or made an impression on you in the past or present? Are there any with emotive semblances of peace and happiness? There is much to be discovered in how architecture sustains us! I highly recommend to visit notable works of architectural design, for they are a living legacy of humanity’s history and future. A visit to the Neutra VDL House will not disappoint and will most certainly inspire.

WORKS CITED

Dosen, Annemarie S and Ostwald, Michael J. “City, Territory, and Architecture”, Article

number 4. https://cityterritoryarchitecture.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186

s40410-016-0033-1

Neutra, Dione, and Neutra, Dion.“Neutra VDL - History”. Neutra - VDL. California 

State, Polytechnic University, Pomona, 1985, Https://neutra-vdl.org.

Parrott-Sheffer, Chelsey. “Richard Joseph Neutra”. Britannica. Https://

www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-Joseph-Neutra.