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The Case Study houses that made Los Angeles a modernist mecca

Mapping the homes that helped to define an era

Los Angeles is full of fantastic residential architecture styles, from Spanish Colonial Revival to Streamline Moderne. But the modernist Case Study Houses , sponsored by Arts & Architecture and designed between the 1940s and 1960s, are both native to Southern California and particularly emblematic of the region.

The Case Study series showcased homes commissioned by the magazine and designed by some of the most influential designers and architects of the era, including Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra, and Pierre Koenig. The residences were intended to be relatively affordable, replicable houses for post-World War II family living, with an emphasis on “new materials and new techniques in house construction,” as the magazine’s program intro put it.

Technological innovation and practical, economical design features were emphasized—though the homes’ scintillating locations, on roomy lots in neighborhoods like Pacific Palisades and the Hollywood Hills , gave them a luxurious allure.

With the help of photographer Julius Shulman , who shot most of the homes, the most impressive of the homes came to represent not only new styles of home design, but the postwar lifestyle of the booming Southern California region.

A total of 36 houses and apartment buildings were commissioned; a couple dozen were built, and about 20 still stand in the greater Los Angeles area (there’s also one in Northern California, a set near San Diego, and a small apartment complex in Phoenix). Some have been remodeled, but others have been well preserved. Eleven were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

Here’s a guide to all the houses left to see—but keep in mind that, true to LA form, most are still private residences. The Eames and Stahl houses, two of the most famous Case Study Houses, are regularly open to visitors.

As for the unconventional house numbering, post-1962 A&A publisher David Travers writes that the explanation is “inexplicable, locked in the past.”

Case Study House No. 1

J.R. Davidson (with Greta Davidson) designed this house in 1948 (it was actually his second go at Case Study House No. 1). It was intended for “a hypothetical family" with two working parents and was designed to require "minimum maintenance.”

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Case Study House No. 2

Case Study House No. 2 was designed in 1947 by Sumner Spaulding and John Rex. Arts & Architecture wrote that the home’s layout “achieves a sense of spaciousness and flexibility,” with an open living area and glass doors that lead out to adjoining terraces.

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Case Study House No. 7

Case Study House No. 7 was designed in 1948 by Thornton M. Abell. It has a “three-zone living area,” with space for study, activity, and relaxation/conversation; the areas can be separated by sliding panels or combined.

Eames House (Case Study House No. 8)

Legendary designer couple Charles and Ray Eames designed the Eames House in 1949 and even Arts & Architecture seemed kind of blown away by it. The home is built into a hillside behind a row of Eucalyptus trees on a bluff above Pacific Palisades. It's recognizable by its bright blue, red, and yellow panels. The Eameses lived in the house until their deaths. It’s now open to visitors five days per week, though reservations are required.

Entenza House (Case Study House No. 9)

The Entenza House was built in 1949 and designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen for Arts & Architecture editor John Entenza. According to the magazine, “In general, the purpose was to enclose as much space as possible within a reasonably simple construction.”

Case Study House No. 10

Case Study House No. 10 was designed in 1947 by Kemper Nomland. The house is built on several levels to mold into its sloping site. Recently restored, the home sold to Kristen Wiig in 2017.

Case Study House No. 15

Designed by J.R. Davidson in 1947, Case Study House No. 15 has south walls made of huge glass panels. Its flagstone patio and indoor floor are at the same level for that seamless indoor-outdoor feel. According to the magazine, the floorplan “is basically that of another Davidson house, Case Study House No. 11,” which has been demolished.

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Case Study House for 1953

Craig Ellwood’s Case Study House for 1953 is usually numbered as 16 in the Case Study series . It has a modular steel structure and “the basic plan is a four-foot modular rectangle.” But the interior walls stick out past the exterior walls to bring the indoors out and the outdoors in. The Bel Air house hit the market in November with a $3 million price tag.

Case Study House No. 17 (A)

Case Study House No. 17 (A) was designed by Rodney Walker in 1947. A tight budget kept the house at just 1,560 square feet, “but more space was gained through the use of many glass areas.” The house also has a large front terrace with a fireplace that connects the indoor living room fireplace. The house has been remodeled .

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Case Study House No. 17 (B)

Case Study House No. 17 (B) was designed in 1956 by Craig Ellwood, but “governed by a specific program set forth by the client.” Ellwood took into account the clients' collection of contemporary paintings and made the living room “purposely undersized” to work best for small gatherings. The house was extensively remodeled in the sixties by Hollywood Regency architect John Elgin Woolf and his partner, interior designer Robert Koch Woolf.

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West House (Case Study House No. 18 [A])

Case Study House No. 18 (A) was designed by Rodney Walker in 1948. The house is oriented toward the ocean, but set back from the cliff edge it sits on to avoid noise issues. As A&A says, "High above the ocean, the privacy of the open south and east exposures of Case Study House No. 18 can be threatened only by an occasional sea-gull." The house features a "bricked garden room" separated from the living room by a two-sided fireplace.

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Fields House (Case Study House No. 18 [B])

Case Study House No. 18 (B) was designed by Craig Ellwood in 1958. Ellwood didn’t attempt to hide that the house was prefabricated (the magazine explains that he believed “that the increasing cost of labor and the decline of the craftsman will within not too many years force a complete mechanization of residential construction methods”). The components of the house, however, are “strongly defined with color: ceiling and panels are off-white and the steel framework is blue.” According to A&A' s website, the house has been remodeled.

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Case Study House No. 20 [A])

This two-bedroom house was meant “to serve young parents who find they can afford just that much,” according to architect Richard Neutra’s description. He also wrote that he used several different kinds of natural wood in the house.

Bass House (Case Study House No. 20 [B])

The Bass House was designed in 1958 by Buff, Straub, and Hensman for famed graphic designer Saul Bass. It's “unique in that it was based upon the experimental use of several prefabricated Douglas fir plywood products as part of the structural concept,” including hollow-core plywood vaults that covered the central part of the house.

Case Study House No. 21

Pierre Koenig designed Case Study House No. 21 in 1958. It was originally completely surrounded by water, with a walkway and driveway spanning the moat at the front door and carport, respectively. The house was severely messed with over the years, but restored in the ’90s with help from Koenig.

Stahl House (Case Study House No. 22)

Pierre Koenig's Stahl House , designed in 1960, is probably the most famous house in Los Angeles, thanks to an iconic photo by Julius Shulman . The house isn't much to look at from the street, but its backside is mostly glass surrounding a cliff's-edge pool. Tours are available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday—but book well ahead of time, as they sell out quickly.

Case Study House for 1950

The unnumbered Case Study House for 1950 was designed by Raphael Soriano. It's rectangular, with living room and bedrooms facing out to the view. However, in the kitchen and eating areas, the house “turns upon itself and living develops around a large kitchen-dining plan opening upon a terrace which leads directly into the living room interrupted only by the mass of two fireplaces.” According to A&A 's website, the house has been remodeled.

Frank House (Case Study House No. 25)

The two-story Frank House was designed by Killingsworth, Brady, and Smith and Associates in 1962 and it sits on a canal in Long Beach. A reflecting pool with stepping stones leads to its huge front door and inside to an 18-foot high courtyard. The house sold in 2015 with some unfortunate remodeling .

Case Study House No. 28

Case Study House No. 28 was designed in 1966 by Conrad Buff and Donald Hensman. According to the magazine, “the architects were asked to design a house that incorporated face brick as the primary structural material to demonstrate its particular advantages.” They came up with a plan for two symmetrical wings joined by glass galleries.

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Midcentury-Modern Architecture: Everything You Should Know About the Funky and Functional Style

Midcentury modern is a term that’s thrown around a lot these days, but what is it really? Midcentury-modern architecture is not simply anything that was designed and built in the middle of the 20th century, but in fact an architectural style with a defined set of principles and influences. The style continues to influence contemporary architecture in ways big and small, so below, with the help of four industry experts, we’ve broken it all down from you—from the history to the most famous examples that still stand today. 

What is midcentury-modern architecture?

Midcentury-modern architecture is a style created by architects in the middle decades of the 20th century. Influenced by the optimism of the post-World War II boom and by the exploration of a range of materials, including steel,  concrete , and newly available  insulated glass , the mainstays of midcentury-modern architecture remain appealing to this day . Though the architects we associate with the style varied in their preferences and creative decisions, there is undeniably a spirit of creativity that unites their creations. 

“Midcentury modern was about stripping away unnecessary ornament and really getting to the essence of a design gesture,”  designer Jonathan Adler says. “That clarity of vision is innately communicative and people love design that speaks to them. By stripping away the frills, the designer can communicate directly with the viewer, and communication is ultimately what good design is about.”

For John Ike, a partner of San Francisco–based architecture and design firm Ike Baker Velten , the continued draw to midcentury-modern architecture seems to be a product of specific design elements. “I think it’s really the materials, the open flowing spaces, and the real sunny feel to them that draws people to the architectural style to this day,” explains Ike, who lives in a midcentury-modern home himself in San Diego. 

Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned at this Palm Springs home by architect William Krisel.

The history of midcentury-modern architecture

The stage was set for midcentury-modern design by visionary architects and designers that preceded the period. Frank Lloyd Wright is undeniably the most influential figure on the period. Hallmarks of his buildings—site-specific designs, the consideration for flow between the spaces, and his dedication to the use of wood paneling—are all prominent features of midcentury-modern homes. 

The Bauhaus movement was an important stepping stone leading to the midcentury-modern period, as was MoMA’s 1932 International Style exhibition. Architect Philip Johnson was the director of the show, which was the museum’s first architectural exhibition and featured the work of Richard Neutra, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, and other figures whose work would influence and define MCM. The works of Alvar Aalto and Marcel Breuer were also formative for MCM, particularly their furniture designs which continue to resonate today. 

The postwar Case Study Houses program—created and sponsored by  Arts and Architecture —also resulted in many key examples of midcentury-modern houses. Pierre Koenig, Eero Saarinen, A. Quincy Jones, and the Eameses were among the modern architects who designed homes in response to it, though not all of the homes were constructed. Some have been remodeled into oblivion and some of them have been demolished, but 20 remain standing today according to Forbes .

The Frank Sinatra Twin Palms Estate by E. Stewart Williams

“The style became extremely fashionable in its time,” says Leo Marmol, managing partner of AD100 design-build practice Marmol Radziner , which has worked on the restoration of midcentury-modern homes for over 25 years. “It was something that the media could really kind of sink their teeth into and show these alluring and sexy photographs, and seduce the viewer into this fantasy of modern living.”

Adler, whose work is inspired by midcentury-modern style, would concur. “More than anything I’m drawn to the vibe of optimism and the spirit of postwar possibility. Optimism never goes out of style.”

Defining characteristics and elements of midcentury-modern architecture

• Clean lines
• Floor-to-ceiling windows
• Open floor plans
• Indoor-outdoor living
• Functionality

Famous examples

Sean Connery on the set of Diamonds Are Forever in the Elrod House

Elrod House by John Lautner

Palm Springs, California

One of the most unique of the midcentury-modern homes, Lautner’s Elrod House was immortalized in the 1971 James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever. Cavelike but not dark thanks to some well-placed large skylights, the Elrod Home is almost verging on UFO territory. As KAA Design’s Grant Kirkpatrick told us, “Palm Springs is a bastion of classic midcentury architecture,” and this is probably among the desert town’s most imaginative structures. 

The TWA Flight Center now operates as a hotel. 

Eero Saarinen & Associates’ Trans World Air Flight Center

Queens, New York  

Opened in 1962 and designated as a New York City landmark in 1994, the TWA  Flight Center was designed to “express the excitement of travel,” per an ad for the Flight Center that quotes architect Eero Saarinen himself. Nowadays it still expresses that same excitement, though as a hotel that represents a flight through time. According to Antonio Román’s  Eero Saarinen: An Architecture of Multiplicity,  though many considered the structure to be built to look like a bird in flight, Saarinen himself insisted that was merely coincidental. In any case, the building is one of the most prominent examples of midcentury architecture’s futurist impulse, and a lap around its bright red-carpeted hallways is sure to make a believer out of any midcentury-modern design skeptic. 

Blocks of color add visual interest to the glass-and-steel Eames House structures.

Charles and Ray Eames’s Eames House

Pacific Palisades, California

From their furniture with Herman Miller to  designing for IBM , the influence of Charles and Ray Eames over our contemporary understanding of midcentury-modern style cannot be overstated. At the center of it all is the Pacific Palisades home they designed and built in 1949. The house in fact consists of two raised steel-and-glass structures, both flaunting flat roofs, bright color blocks, and an intentional connection to its natural surroundings.

The iconic “Poolside Gossip” photo by Slim Aarons

Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House

Also on the West Coast, this Neutra home is most remembered for its appearance in the Slim Aarons photo “Poolside Gossip.” The split-level Kaufmann House is one of Richard Neutra’s many notable structures, and undoubtedly one of the most celebrated Palm Springs homes. “The Kaufmann Home is without a doubt one of the seminal examples of midcentury modern. It is the classic open plan where the interior and the exterior are knit together very seamlessly,” Marmol says. His firm, Marmol Radziner, restored the Kaufmann House in the late 1990s. “It’s incredibly modern in its detailing: simple and elegant.”

The Farnsworth House features a covered patio off the living area. 

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House

Plano, Illinois

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Plano, Illinois, structure is a steel-and-glass house that invites the natural surroundings inside. The house also proves just how wonderful a feature can be even without sunny Southern California weather. Probably the most minimalist among the midcentury-modern homes included here, the Farnsworth House was first built as a country house for  Edith Farnsworth , a doctor, violinist, and architecture patron. The home’s core contains the kitchen and two bathrooms, and the bedroom, office, dining area, and living room flow naturally into each other and offer unfettered views of the property’s exterior, with floor to ceiling glass doors opening to a covered patio for additional living space. 

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The Eames House: A Deep Dive into Case Study House 8

Nestled in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles stands the Eames House, also known as Case Study House No. 8. It is more than just a work of mid-century modern architecture; it’s an enduring testament to the design sensibilities and philosophies of Charles and Ray Eames, the husband-and-wife team who not only designed it but also called it home. Built in 1949, this iconic structure encapsulates the couple’s holistic approach to design and life.

Eames House Technical Information

• Architects: Ray and Charles Eames
• Location: 203 North Chautauqua Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles , USA
• Topics: Mid-Century Modern
• Area: 1,500 ft 2 |  140  m 2
• Project Year: 1945 – 1949
• Photographs: © Eames Office, See Captions

The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.  – Charles and Ray Eames 1-2

Eames House Photographs

The Eames House: A Living Laboratory for Design Exploration 

From its initial construction to its life today as a museum, the Eames House offers a rich tapestry of history, ingenuity, and practical elegance. Commissioned by Arts & Architecture magazine for their Case Study House program, this residence has endured as a beacon of what Charles and Ray stood for—efficiency, innovation, and the honest use of materials. As Charles once said, “Just as a good host tries to anticipate the needs of his guest, so a good architect or a designer or a city planner tries to anticipate the needs of those who will live in or use the thing being designed.”

The Eameses purchased 1.4 acres from Arts & Architecture owner John Entenza in 1945, but the journey to the final construction was rife with modifications and resource constraints. Initial designs by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen , which envisioned a glass and steel box cantilevering dramatically over the property, were shelved. In part, due to material shortages in the post-war era, Charles and Ray turned inward, observing and soaking in the nuances of the site. The eventual design had the house sitting quietly in the land, harmonizing with the natural surroundings rather than imposing on it.

Two distinct boxes make up the residence—one serves as the living quarters and the other as a studio. The house and studio are separated by a concrete retaining wall that integrates seamlessly with the existing landscape. An 8-foot tall by 200-foot long concrete wall helps to anchor the site while also setting a dramatic backdrop for the architecture.

Both structures are predominantly characterized by their steel frame construction, filled with a variety of colored panels. The colored panels aren’t merely decorative; they are functional elements carefully calibrated to provide shifting patterns of light and shade throughout the day. The impact of light, so finely tuned in the design, showcases influences from Japanese architecture.

The Eames House doesn’t just make a statement from the outside; the interiors are equally compelling. The house is a melting pot of the Eameses’ diverse interests and design sensibilities—featuring Isamu Noguchi lamps , Thonet chairs, Native American baskets, and more. The living spaces are meticulously designed to serve multiple functions—a living room that transforms into a workspace, alcoves that turn into intimate conversation spots, and hallways lined with functional storage closets.

Living as Work, Work as Living

One of the most unique aspects of the Eames House is how it serves as a living laboratory for Charles and Ray’s iterative design process. As is evident from their film “Powers of Ten” or the constant evolution of their iconic furniture, the couple believed in refining, adjusting, and perfecting. The house was no different—it was a perpetual project, an embodiment of their philosophy of “life in work and work in life.”

For Charles and Ray, details weren’t just details—they were the product. The panels, steel columns, and even the gold-leaf panel marking the entry door were not afterthoughts but an integral part of the architectural dialogue. The Eames House reflects this in its intricate interplay of textures, colors, and spaces that come together to create a harmonious whole.

The Eames House is notable for its De Stijl influences, seen in the sliding walls and windows that allow for versatility and openness. It stands as a successful adaptation of European modernist principles within an American context.

The Eames House is not just an architectural statement but a comprehensive worldview translated into physical form. From its thoughtful integration with the landscape to its detailed articulations, it represents the legacy of two of the 20 th century’s most influential designers. Charles and Ray

Eames House Plans

Eames House Image Gallery

About Ray and Charles Eames

Charles and Ray Eames were a husband-and-wife design team who became icons of mid-20th-century modern design. Working primarily in the United States, they gained prominence for their contributions across multiple disciplines, including architecture, furniture design, industrial design, film, and exhibitions. Perhaps best known for their innovative furniture pieces, like the Eames Lounge Chair and Molded Plastic Chairs, they also left a lasting impact on architecture, most notably with the Eames House, also known as Case Study House No. 8. Their work is characterized by a playful yet disciplined approach, with a focus on functional design, innovative use of materials, and the importance of user experience.

Notes & Additional Credits

• While the quote is not specifically about the Eames House, it reflects the philosophy the Eameses applied to their design work, including their home. The Eames House is a manifestation of their belief in the “guest-host relationship,” where every design decision is made with the user’s experience in mind.
• Charles & Ray Eames: 1907-1978, 1912-1988: Pioneers of Mid-century Modernism  by Gloria Koenig

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The case study houses forever changed american architecture.

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Scenes from the new showroom of Herman Miller which shows classic designs by Charles and Ray Eames, ... [+] in Culver City, Ca., Oct. 1, 2009. (Photo by Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The Case Study House Program’s vision belonged to Los Angeles-based Arts & Architecture magazine Editor John Entenza.

Entenza sponsored and publicized some design competitions in the magazine and emphasized modern, affordable, easily built houses.

He announced the Case Study House Program's launch in the January 1945 issue of Arts & Architecture magazine . He envisioned the program to solve the problem of housing shortages and anticipated the coming building boom that would follow War World II and the Depression.

The front side of the Eames House Case Study #8 designed by architects Charles and Ray Eames in ... [+] Pacific Palisades. June 30, 2005. (Photo by Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

A 1937 Harwell Harris house has a Streamline Moderne exterior with a white curved porte cochere in ... [+] front (wide enough for the original owner, powerful architecture magazine editor John Entenza s 1925 Ford) and a round bedroom wall in back overlooking Santa Monica Canyon. Peter Rabitz, a co–worker visiting from Germany, enjoys the view into the canyon on a recent visit. (Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

A 1937 Harwell Harris house has the porte cochere at left and entrance to house at right. (Photo by ... [+] Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The goal of the program was for each architect to create a home "capable of duplication and in no sense being an individual performance," Entenza said in his announcement.

"It is important that the best materials available be used in the best possible way in order to arrive at a good solution of each problem, which in the overall program will be general enough to be of practical assistance to the average American in search of a home in which he can afford to live in," he noted.

Architect Pierre Koenig designed two of the iconic Modernist houses in Los Angeles in the 1950s ... [+] known as Case Study House 21 and 22. Drawing of one of Koenig's designs. (Photo by Anacleto Rapping/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The Case Study House Program served as a model for post-war living, providing the public and the building industry an opportunity to access affordable, mid-century modernism and simple designs.

Floor-to-ceiling glass, steel frames, horizontal lines, modular components, open-floor plans and multi-purpose rooms were all elements of the Case Study’s take on modernism. The furnished projects provided places for owners to enjoy a family-friendly home with public and private spaces to relax, watch TV, listen to music and entertain, merging indoor and outdoor worlds with walls of steel and glass to allow ample light.

Initially, Entenza invited Richard Neutra, Charles Eames, Eero Saarinen and five other architects to submit prototypes and planned that all eight houses would be open to the public until they were occupied. The project was ambitious. The Eames and Entenza houses were designed in 1945 but not completed until 1949. Still, the Case Study program was so successful that it ran until 1966 and saw 350,000 visitors tour the open homes before clients took up residence.

Architect Pierre Koenig designed two of the iconic Modernist houses in Los Angeles in the 1950s ... [+] known as Case Study House 21 and 22. Photos of Pierre and Gloria Koenig main living room inside their West Los Angeles home which Pierre designed. (Photo by Anacleto Rapping/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Twenty homes remain today, but 36 experimental prototypes, many unbuilt, documenting new ideas and residential designs, appeared in the magazine.

The majority of the homes were built in Southern California; some are located in San Diego and Northern California; a group of Case Study apartments was built in Phoenix.

Many architects such as Ray and Charles Eames, Saarinen, Craig Ellwood and Pierre Koenig became icons of modernism and earned international followings. The Case Study Houses launched the reputations of local architects such as Thornton Bell, Whitney R. Smith and Rodney Walker.

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The Eames House, also known as Case Study House No. 8, is a landmark of mid-20th century modern architecture located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was designed and constructed in 1949 by husband-and-wife Charles and Ray Eames to serve as their home and studio. They lived in their home until their deaths: Charles in 1978 and Ray, ten years to the day, in 1988.

Charles described the house as unselfconscious . There is a sense of that “way-it-should-be-ness”. Charles and Ray designed a house specifically to meet their needs, but they were those universal needs that we all share as humans. They believed in the honest use of materials and straightforward connections. The details WERE the product!

And then by nestling the house into the hillside, rather than imposing it on the site, they realized their original intent: for the house in nature to serve as a re-orientor. The scent, the sound of birds, the shadow of the trees against the structure whether inside or out, the openness of the site—all the elements join seamlessly.

Charles said, “Just as a good host tries to anticipate the needs of his guest, so a good architect or a designer or a city planner tries to anticipate the needs of those who will live in or use the thing being designed.”

Come visit and explore how the house exemplifies many of the themes of the Eameses’ work: from furniture to exhibitions, the guest/host relationship, the iterative process that leads to meeting the need, the importance of the direct experience, the relation with nature, the life in work and work in life, the importance of details, and more. Together the structure, collections, and landscape tell the story of the couple’s approach to life and work.

The Eames House consists of two glass and steel rectangular boxes: one is a residence; one, a working studio, exploring process, materiality and color.

The Eameses looked at life as being an act of design. The residence is filled with the “stuff” of their living: the stuff that tells the story of their lives, interests and loves.

The Eames House structure and its contents are often the focus of attention, but the landscape is critical to their understanding. As Charles said, “Eventually everything connects”.

Help us share the Eameses’ joy and rigor with future visitors, so they may have a direct experience of Charles and Ray’s approach to life and work.

8 Famous Midcentury Homes You Can Actually Tour

The simple, rational homes designed by the illustrious architects of the 1950s and ’60s define the era’s values, aesthetics, and lifestyle. The impact of midcentury icons like Philip Johnson’s Glass House and the Eames House is hard to overstate, and more easily understood when experienced in person. As preservation efforts continue across the country, famous homes are increasingly opening as house museums. Read on for the eight residences at the top of our list.

Gropius House in Lincoln, Massachusetts

Walter Gropius designed his residence in Lincoln, Massachusetts, after fleeing Germany’s Third Reich regime for a teaching position at Harvard.

Designed by famed architect and founder of the Bauhaus school Walter Gropius, the Gropius House in Massachusetts was completed in 1939. Gropius and his wife fell in love with rural New England and opted to design and build their family home in the countryside instead of in Boston or Cambridge. The home incorporates traditional elements of New England architecture—wood, brick, and fieldstone—with distinctly modern forms, technology, and materials like glass block, chrome banisters, a rectilinear shape, and acoustical plaster. Inside, visitors will find the family’s possessions still in place, from furniture designed by Marcel Breuer to pieces designed by Gropius himself while leading the Bauhaus. The house is run by Historic New England and is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday. 

The Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut

Philip Johnson's Glass House is in fact one building out of 14 that sit on the 49-acre property, each with their own approach to structure, geometry, siting, and proportion.

Designed between 1949 and 1995 by architect Philip Johnson , The Glass House is a campus of multiple buildings on a 49-acre landscape. The 14 structures include the famed Glass House, completed in 1949, which functioned as Johnson’s residence until his death in 2005 and is noted for its minimal structure, geometry, proportion, and use of glass to achieve transparency and reflection (as well as its close resemblance to Mies van der Rohe’s 1947-1951 Farnsworth House, also included in this list). Other buildings on the property include the Brick House, the solid counterpart to the Glass House, a studio, and a painting gallery, among others. The home is now owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and tours of the site are available to the public in May through November. 

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Abiquiu, New Mexico

Visitors can take a trip to Georgia O'Keeffe's former home and studio in Abiquiu, New Mexico, and get a sense of the landscape and surroundings that inspired her.   

Open to the public since 1997, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, which has cared for and preserved O’Keeffe’s home and studio in Abiquiu, New Mexico, since 2003, offers the unique experience to see and experience the residence and surroundings that inspired the influential and significant artist. Although the compound was originally constructed in the Spanish Colonial-era, O’Keeffe purchased it in 1945 and supervised its restoration that was carried out by her friend Maria Chabot; its interiors are simple and sparsely decorated, speaking to the influence of Modernist aesthetics. The site is only open to the public for tours by appointment, and can be visited along with one other of O’Keeffe’s former homes and residences. 

Manitoga in Garrison, New York

Manitoga, or Dragon Rock, was the residence of industrial designer Russel Wright and is filled with design details that incorporated nature, including rooms with boulders rising from the floors and a tiered layout that worked with the natural topography.

Manitoga is the former residence of American industrial designer Russel Wright , and is comprised of a house, studio, and 75-acre quarried landscape. With the help of architect David Leavitt, Wright realized Dragon Rock, the name given to the home; both shared an influence and interest in Japanese design and together incorporated nature and natural elements into the house and studio through siting, scale, structure, intimacy, and details. Approached from below, the house sits on a dramatic landscape created by a former limestone quarry; the home is open to the public seasonally. 

The Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Indiana

The Miller House and Garden features a custom-made sofa in the open-plan living area designed by Saarinen with textiles by Girard. The home was widely published and is in part credited for the popularity of conversation pits in the 1950s and 1960s.

The Miller House and Garden, completed in 1953, is a one-of-a-kind showcase of the work of architect Eero Saarinen , designer Alexander Girard, and landscape architect Dan Kiley at a single residence. Originally designed for the family of J. Irwin Miller, a local industrialist and philanthropist, the home features an open floor plan with several custom built-in pieces of furniture—such as one of the earliest conversation pits —that was clad in bold textiles designed by Girard. The geometric gardens include a dramatic allée of honey locust trees, and the home is open to the public for a 90-minute tour. 

Eames House in Los Angeles, California

The Eames House, also known as Case Study House #8, is on Chautauqua Drive in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, California.

As one of the most iconic private residences in American midcentury design, the Eames House was completed in 1949 to serve as the home and studio for the husband-and-wife partnership of Charles and Ray Eames . Also known as Case Study House No. 8, the landmark residence was commissioned by the magazine Arts & Culture as part of their program for architects to design progressive, affordable, and modest homes in Southern California. The home’s exterior is comprised of glass and painted metal panels in a grid steel, and was recognized for its bold use of color and functional interior layout. The historic house museum is maintained by the Eames Foundation and is open to the public by appointment. 

Duplex at Modulightor in New York City

246 East 58th Street was designed by Paul Rudolph in 1989 and is the only residence designed by Rudolph that is currently open to the public.

Although technically not a midcentury building, the Duplex at Modulightor is the only New York City residence designed by noted architect Paul Rudolph that is open to the public and features many of the motifs, materials, and concepts evident in much of his work. Completed in 1989, the building was designed as a residence and commercial building to house Modulightor, the lighting company Rudolph founded with Ernst Wagner. The fifth and sixth floors of the building were added in 2007-2015 by a former Rudolph employee and were based on Rudolph’s early sketches for an unbuilt nine-story building. Today, the building serves in part as the headquarters of the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation is open for Foundation events and for tours by appointment.

The Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois

The Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois, was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as a retreat for client Dr. Edith Farnsworth.

Located about two hours outside of Chicago, the Farnsworth House was completed in 1951 by famed architect Mies van der Rohe and is considered one of his most significant and influential works. Consisting of an almost puritanical, transparent facade of glass propped up on thin, white I-beams, the home is an essay on Mies’ struggles to perfect modernist ideals of minimalism and structural expression. Although the home has been subject to flooding from a nearby river near which it was intentionally sited, mitigation efforts have allowed it to remain open to the public seasonally from April through November.

Related Reading: 

Design Icons: 24 Modern Architects and Designers That Have Shaped Our World

10 Classic Midcentury Pieces That Will Never Go Out of Style

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Inside L.A.’s Ultimate Mid-century Modern Home

In March 1954, Clarence “Buck” Stahl and Carlotta May Gates drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and got married in a chapel. They each worked in aviation (Buck in sales, Carlotta as a receptionist), had previous marriages, and were strapping, tall, and extremely good looking—California Apollonians out of central casting. Buck was 41, Carlotta, 24. Back home in L.A., as the newlyweds pondered their future, they became preoccupied with a promontory of land jutting out like the prow of a ship from Woods Drive in the Hollywood Hills, about 125 feet above Sunset Boulevard. It was as conspicuous as it was forbidding, visible from the couple’s house on nearby Hillside Avenue. “This lot was in pure view—every morning, every night,” Carlotta Stahl recalled. Locals called it Pecker Point, presumably because it was a prime makeout venue. For the Stahls, it became the blank screen on which they projected their dreams of a life together, a place to build a future, a family, and a house like no other.

Buck Stahl teaches his infant son Mark how to swim, 1967.

Carlotta with daughter Shari on the lounge chair and Bruce in the pool.

About two months after their dash to Las Vegas, the Stahls decided to drive up to this mystery spot and have a look around. They found themselves gawping at the entirety of Los Angeles spread out below in a grid that went on for an eternity or two. While they stood there, the owner of the lot rolled up. He lived down in La Jolla and rarely came to L.A. In the kismet-filled conversation that followed, Buck agreed to buy the barren one-eighth-acre lot for $13,500, with $100 down and the seller maintaining the mortgage until the Stahls paid it off. A handshake later, the couple owned 1635 Woods Drive. On that site, they would construct Case Study House #22, designed by Pierre Koenig, arguably the most famous of all the houses in the famous Case Study program that Arts & Architecture magazine initiated in 1945. For generations of pilgrims, gawkers, architecture students, and midcentury-modern aficionados, it would be known simply as the Stahl House.

The house in 1960, as captured by Julius Shulman during the day.

Sixty-one years since its completion, the modestly scaled L-shaped dwelling still exemplifies everything that is Californian and modern, a built metaphor in prefabricated steel and glass for Los Angeles itself. Yet the Stahl House—which began as a model that Buck fashioned out of beer cans and clay—transcends time and place. Its very image, as the architect Sir Norman Foster once wrote, embodies “the whole spirit of late 20th-century architecture.”

The family’s streamlined kitchen.

You probably know that image, the one Julius Shulman, the architectural photographer, created of the Stahl House in 1960, when the house was barely complete: black and white, twilight, a pair of seated women in conversation, the glass corner of the house cantilevering 10 feet out into nothing except a forever view of glistening, celestial L.A. In 2016, Time Magazine declared it one of the 100 most influential photographs of all time. “If I had to choose one snapshot, one architectural moment, of which I would like to have been the author,” Foster wrote, “this is surely it.” The image continues to hold sway over contemporary practitioners. “That photograph was pivotal in so many peoples’ lives,” the laureled Seattle-based architect Tom Kundig said. “I mean, is there any other photograph that captures in a single image the potential of architecture, the optimism of it? I don’t know if there is.”

Buck and his nephew, Robert, in front of his DIY model of the house.

Carlotta and a family friend (left) with Mark in 1967.

Thanks to a seven-and-a-half-minute exposure, Shulman had managed to capture a serenely futuristic, even utopian, tableau. But the shoot, with plaster dust everywhere and a furniture delivery man taking a detour to visit his mother in Kansas City, was chaos. The backstory of that photograph is one of many spun out in The Stahl House: Case Study House #22 , a sumptuous new book by two of the Stahls’ children, Bruce Stahl and Shari Stahl Gronwald, with the journalist Kim Cross. (Buck and Carlotta, and the youngest Stahl sibling, Mark, are no longer living.) “As kids,” the authors write, “we didn’t know our house was special. It was simply ‘home.’ ” Their book is a startlingly intimate document, chockablock with family snapshots, that goes beyond steel decking, glass walls, concrete caissons, and the geometry of H columns and I beams. It’s a love song to a global icon that was, for the residents themselves, no museum.

Shulman’s famous seven-minute exposure captures the house and its sprawling city backdrop.

As the Stahls tell it, the house may have been a modernist glass bubble, but the glass had smudgy handprints all over it. The towheaded Stahl kids liked to roller-skate across the concrete floors and got up to the usual youthful japery—setting Barbies afire and the like. Jumping off the dramatic, oversailing roof into the swimming pool was an important rite, one eventually passed down to the Stahls’ grandchildren. Buck would shout for the kids to “aim for the drain,” meaning the deep end, and they would take flight, the turquoise water rushing toward them and sky all around. The pool was the center of everything. Shari once rode her tricycle into it, and Bruce developed into a champion swimmer who broke the world record for the 50-meter freestyle. Carlotta, for her part, made delicious treats in a kitchen outfitted with pink GE appliances. Adolf Loos’s dictum “ornament is crime” may have animated Koenig’s minimalist design, but she went to town on a tucked-away powder room: floral wallpaper, shag carpet, framed embroidery, and plastic daisies. Buck was the kind of dad who built the children’s nightstands himself; the Stahls’ decor was no high-end fantasia of Eames, Knoll, and Nelson. Like the prototypical postwar suburban family, the Stahls made do and got by.

Eventually, the Stahl House, like all midcentury houses, fell out of fashion. But in 1989 it was rebuilt, in replica, as the star attraction of the “Blueprints for Modern Living” show at L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art, a surreal experience for the Stahls, who strolled through a parallel-universe version of their family home that had been styled as if for a Hollywood production. And then, more and more, real productions began beating a path up to the real Stahl House: movies, television, Vogue shoots. In 1990, the vocal trio Wilson Phillips filmed the video for their hit “Release Me” there, with director Julien Temple evoking Shulman’s famous photograph. For Carnie Wilson, one of the singers, the experience was the apotheosis of all things Los Angeles. “Here we were in a house that overlooked all of L.A., thinking of the Beach Boys and the Mamas and the Papas,” she said, referring to the group’s pop-royalty parentage. “It just felt all encompassing there.” Modernism came back in style and the Stahl House, owned by the Stahl family to this day and open to hundreds of visitors on guided tours every year, became one of the most photographed buildings in the world. The house was even a guest star on The Simpsons. It doesn’t get much more pantheonic than that.

“When I built in steel, what you saw was what you got,” the plain-spoken Koenig once said. What Buck and Carlotta Stahl got when they drove up to Woods Drive in 1954 was more than they ever envisioned. “They simply built their dream home,” their children write. It’s a dream that never ends.

Photos excerpted from The Stahl House: Case Study House #22: The Making of a Modernist Icon by Shari Stahl Gronwald, Bruce Stahl, and Kim Cross, published by Chronicle Chroma 2021.

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Case Study Houses

The Case Study Houses served as a blueprint and inspiration for Mid-Century homes in Southern California.

In 2013, ten Case Study House program residences were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Relevant Places

Bass House (Case Study House #20B)

Case Study House #1

Case Study House #10

Case Study House #16

Case Study House #28

Entenza House (Case Study House #9)

Stahl House (Case Study House #22)

Triad (Case Study House #23A)

Triad (Case Study House #23C)

West House (Case Study House #18)

Launched in 1945 by John Entenza’s  Arts + Architecture  magazine, the Case Study House program commissioned architects to study, plan, design, and ultimately construct houses in anticipation of renewed building in the postwar years.

While the Case Study House program did not achieve its initial goals for mass production and affordability, it was responsible for some of Los Angeles’ most iconic and internationally recognized modern residences, such as the  Eames House (Case Study House #8)  by Charles and Ray Eames and the Pierre Koenig-designed  Stahl House (Case Study House #22) , famously photographed by Julius Shulman.

After a decade-long effort, L.A. Conservancy’s Modern Committee succeeded in listing ten Case Study residences on the National Register of Historic Places.

About This Issue

With an emphasis on experimentation, and a goal of promoting good, modern, affordable design for single-family homes, the program helped to disseminate the midcentury modern aesthetic through its thirty-five published plans. Of these, twenty-five houses and one apartment building were built in California and Arizona.

The program offered an unparalleled opportunity for commissions and publicity for established architects including Richard Neutra, J. R. Davidson, Sumner Spaulding, and William Wurster. It helped raise the profile of then-lesser-known designers including Craig Ellwood, A. Quincy Jones, Edward Killingsworth, Ralph Rapson, Eero Saarinen, and Raphael Soriano.

Our Position

On November 21, 2013, the  Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee was awarded a Governor’s Historic Preservation Award to recognize its work in nominating eleven Case Study Houses to the National Register of Historic Places.

Through the efforts of the Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee, eleven Case Study House residences in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Ventura counties are now recognized as nationally historic. Ten are officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and an eleventh was deemed eligible for listing.

Few of the Case Study Houses currently have preservation protections, and some have been demolished or significantly altered. This proactive step recognizes the eleven nominated homes and raises greater awareness about the Case Study House program while providing a historic context for future designation of the remaining eligible properties.

On May 1, 2013, the State Historical Resources Commission voted to recommend listing of ten Case Study Houses in the National Register of Historic Places.  These ten residences with certifying recommendations were submitted to the National Park Service for final review and listing by the Keeper of the National Trust.  They were formally listed on July 24, 2013.

An eleventh nominated residence, Case Study House #23A, was not formally listed because of owner objection, but it received a determination of eligibility for listing in the National Register. All eleven residences will be considered historic resources and will enjoy the same protections under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Several Case Study Houses were not included in the nomination — if they’ve been altered or demolished, or for other reasons — but with this platform in place, it will be easier for other CSH homes to be nominated in the future.

Likewise, a few CSH houses, such as the  Eames House  (CSH #8), weren’t included because they’re already individually listed.

Case Study House residences included in nomination:

Los Angeles County

• Case Study House #1 , 10152 Toluca Lake Ave., Los Angeles
• Case Study House #9 , 205 Chautauqua Blvd., Los Angeles
• Case Study House #10 , 711 S. San Rafael Ave., Pasadena
• Case Study House #16 , 1811 Bel Air Rd., Los Angeles
• Case Study House #18 , 199 Chautauqua Blvd., Los Angeles
• Case Study House #20 , 2275 N. Santa Rosa Ave., Altadena
• Case Study House #21 , 9038 Wonderland Park Ave., Los Angeles
• Case Study House #22 , 1635 Woods Dr., Los Angeles

San Diego County 

• Case Study House #23A , 2342 Rue de Anne, La Jolla, San Diego (determined eligible)
• Case Study House #23C , 2339 Rue de Anne, La Jolla, San Diego

Ventura County

• Case Study House #28 , 91 Inverness Rd., Thousand Oaks

10 Iconic Mid-Century Homes in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, often referred to as the epicenter of architectural innovation, boasts a rich history of mid-century modern homes. These have left an indelible mark on the world of design and continue to inspire architects and enthusiasts alike. Also, these homes , characterized by their clean lines, open spaces, and seamless integration with nature, emerged as a response to the post-World War II era and have since become timeless icons of modern living.

In this article, we will explore ten of the most famous mid-century homes in Los Angeles that have helped shape the city’s architectural identity.

• The Stahl House
• The Eames House
• The Bass House
• The Lovell Health House
• The Sheats-Goldstein Residence
• The Kaufmann House
• Case Study #20: The Bailey House
• Case Study #16: A Serene Oasis in Bel Air
• The Schindler House
• Case Study #21: The Bailey House

1. The Stahl House: A Monument to Modernist Vision

Located at 1635 Woods Dr, West Hollywood, CA 90069, USA, the Stahl House (Case Study #22) is an epitome of modernity and Japanese minimalism. A collaboration between Clarence and Carlotta Stahl, who had the vision for the home, and architect Pierre Koenig, this house has been recognized as one of LA’s historic cultural monuments. Besides, it is listed as one of the top architectural structures in America. Furthermore, its elegant exteriors and iconic Eames Lounge Chair make it a symbol of architectural excellence.

2. The Eames House: Home to Iconic Designs

Situated at 203 Chautauqua Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90272, USA, the Eames House (Case Study #8) is not only a mid-century modern masterpiece but also the birthplace of iconic designs like the Eames Lounge Chair. Designed and built by Charles and Ray Eames in 1949, this home is known for its modernity, Japanese minimalism, and innovative modular construction.

3. The Bass House: A Unique Wood-Clad Gem

Located at 2275 Santa Rosa Ave, Altadena, CA 91001, USA, the Bass House (Case House #20B) stands out as a unique gem among mid-century modern homes in Los Angeles. Designed by Buff, Straub & Hensman in 1958, it deviates from the prevalent steel construction with its distinctive use of wood as the primary building material. To add, this home seamlessly integrates with its natural surroundings, exemplifying the principle of bringing the outside in.

4. The Lovell Health House: A Modernist Pioneer

Designed by Richard Neutra in 1929, the Lovell Health House in Los Feliz predates the mid-century movement but greatly influenced it. With its innovative use of space, interconnected rooms, and strong geometric lines, this home served as a precursor to mid-century modern design principles.

5. The Sheats-Goldstein Residence: An Organic Marvel

Designed by John Lautner in 1963, the Sheats-Goldstein Residence in Beverly Crest seamlessly integrates with its natural surroundings. Also, its concrete roof seems to float above the living spaces. And its distinctive design has been featured in movies and magazines, making it an emblem of architectural innovation.

6. The Kaufmann House: Desert Modernism in Palm Springs

Designed by Richard Neutra in 1946, the Kaufmann House in Palm Springs is a striking example of desert modernism. In addition, its horizontal lines, flat roof, and floor-to-ceiling glass walls blur the lines between the interior and the arid desert landscape.

7. Bailey House: A Mid-Century Family Home

Designed by Richard Neutra in 1947, the Bailey House (Case Study #20), located at 219 Chautauqua Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90272, USA, is an intriguing example of mid-century modern architecture. Further, crafted as a family home that could evolve with its occupants, it features simple rectangular shapes and a captivating curved glass staircase.

8. Case Study #16: A Serene Oasis in Bel Air

Tucked away in the serene hills of Bel Air at 1811 Bel Air Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90077, USA, Case Study #16 is a remarkable creation by Craig Ellwood. As the last surviving member of a trio designed by Ellwood as part of the Case Study program, this house is a city landmark recognized for its innovative design. Moreover, it features oversized translucent floor-to-ceiling glass panels and exposed steel framing.

9. The Schindler House: A Mid-Century Pioneer

Designed by Rudolph M. Schindler in 1921, the Schindler House in West Hollywood set the stage for mid-century modern design principles. As well, its innovative use of space, interconnected rooms, and strong geometric lines paved the way for the mid-century movement.

10. Case Study #21: The Bailey House

Another prominent member of the Case Study House program, the Bailey House (Case Study #21), designed by Pierre Koenig in 1958, exemplifies mid-century modern design principles. Also, perched on a hill in the Laurel Canyon area, this house boasts an open floor plan, sleek steel structure, and walls of glass that invite nature into the living spaces. Additionally, it’s a testament to Koenig’s talent and vision.

Los Angeles’s mid-century modern homes are not just architectural marvels but also cultural touchstones that continue to inspire designers, homeowners, and aficionados worldwide. These homes, with their forward-thinking designs, innovative use of materials, and deep connections to the California landscape, have left an enduring legacy. Also these shape the city’s architectural identity and standing as testaments to the enduring allure of mid-century modernism. Exploring these homes allows us to not only appreciate their aesthetic beauty but also to gain insight into the spirit of innovation and creativity that has defined Los Angeles for decades. Whether you’re a design enthusiast or simply appreciate architectural excellence, these iconic homes are a must-visit to experience the essence of mid-century modern living in Los Angeles.

Check out Minimalist Interior Design: Pros and Cons for more inspirational ideas.

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10 Iconic Mid-Century Modern Homes That Redefined Architecture

Each of these homes represents a unique chapter in the story of mid-century modern architecture..

December 21, 2023, 2:05 pm 1 Comment

Mid-century modern architecture, a style defined by clean lines, organic forms, and functional simplicity, revolutionized residential design in the 20th century. This design movement, spanning from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s, produced some of the most iconic and groundbreaking houses.

Here are 10 such houses that not only exemplify mid-century modern design but also left a lasting impact on architectural history.

The Glass House Philip Johnson (1949)

In New Canaan, Connecticut, The Glass House is a quintessential example of mid-century modernism, featuring a minimal structure with glass walls that dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior. Johnson’s use of transparency and open space redefined residential architecture.

The Eames House (Case Study House No. 8) Charles and Ray Eames (1949)

Located in Pacific Palisades, California, this house was part of the Case Study House program and is known for its innovative use of off-the-shelf materials. It’s a landmark of mid-century modern architecture, reflecting the Eames’ design philosophy of blending work, life, and nature.

Villa Savoye Le Corbusier (1931)

Located in Poissy, France, Villa Savoye is a seminal work of modernist architecture. Though built slightly before the mid-century period, it heavily influenced the movement with its emphasis on a functional structure, geometric form, and the famous “five points” of architecture, including pilotis (supporting columns), flat roof terrace, open floor plan, horizontal windows, and free facade design.

The Farnsworth House Mies van der Rohe (1951)

Located in Plano, Illinois, this house is a masterpiece of international style architecture. Its use of a minimal structural framework and large glass panels creates a profound dialogue between the interior and nature.

The Gropius House Walter Gropius (1938)

In Lincoln, Massachusetts, this house was designed by Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius. It blends traditional New England architectural styles with innovative Bauhaus principles, featuring a simplistic yet functional design.

The Lovell House Richard Neutra (1929)

One of the earliest examples of mid-century modern architecture, located in Los Angeles. Neutra’s design focuses on health and fitness, featuring expansive glass walls and a steel frame construction.

The Schindler House Rudolph M. Schindler (1922)

Also known as the Kings Road House, located in West Hollywood, this house is an early modernist masterpiece. Its design emphasizes space as a utility, using sliding panels and an open floor plan.

The Kaufmann Desert House Richard Neutra (1946)

In Palm Springs, California, this house is known for its seamless connection to the desert landscape. Its design includes large glass walls, deep overhangs, and an integration of indoor and outdoor spaces.

The Miller House and Garden Eero Saarinen (1957)

Located in Columbus, Indiana, this house is a significant mid-century modern residence, known for its open and flowing layout and the integration of the house with its beautiful garden landscape.

Villa Mairea Alvar Aalto (1939)

In Noormarkku, Finland, this house showcases Aalto’s unique approach to modernism, blending local materials and forms with modernist ideals. The design is particularly noted for its organic forms and the use of wood.

Each of these mid-century modern houses represents a unique exploration of space, form, and material, challenging traditional concepts of residential architecture. They not only defined the aesthetics of their era but also continue to influence contemporary design and architecture.

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The Miller House by Eero Saarinen: Midcentury Modernism

The Miller house is a simple yet stupefying amalgamation of art and architecture. The brilliance of Eero Saarinen’ s architectural design innovations, Alexander Girard’s vibrant interiors, and Dan Kiley’s geometric landscape design set an epitome of the mid-century modern architecture style . 

The house was designed as a year-round residence , commissioned and completed in 1957 for the Miller family located in Columbus , Indiana. Its design embraces the modernist principles of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with a flat roof, full-height glass and stone walls, and an open and flowy layout. The subtle white and grey walls on the exterior strikingly contrast the colourful and vivid interiors. What makes it a masterpiece is the unique ambience that was rarely seen in that era, a blend of hard-core architecture and decorative interiors.

The Architectural Design

The planning was quite modern and unconventional for that era, with a non-axial yet functional space arrangement. The free-flowing plan consists of a central space that embodies the conservation pit and four private areas that branch out from this public space. The plan follows a similar geometry as that of Villa Rotonda by Andrea Palladio. 

The central space is highlighted by modern elements like a cylindrical fireplace and the sunken pit. The skylight designed in a grid pattern supported by sixteen free-standing columns creates a beautiful drama of light and shadow in the house. The steel columns and the terrazzo flooring bind the whole building with the modernist sense. Saarinen created a timeless masterpiece for generations to celebrate his brilliant design and details in the house.

The Landscape Design

The landscape of this house was perfectly designed by the celebrated landscape architect Dan Kiley. The design observes symmetry and geometric patterns complementing the house’s design inspired by European gardens tailored in the modernist style. The landscape around the house is divided into three parts, each having its captivation. Kiley focused on framing the landscape around the house and left the land abutting the Flatrock River with a long meadow swooping towards the river. 

The plot with Flatrock River on the west and Washington Street on the east measures 13.5 acres is left with meadows to shift the focus towards the house. Kiley paid attention to small details in the landscape, like putting up vegetation like the weeping beeches on the west portion of the house to shield it from the natural trespassers like the sun and wind. 

The approach is designed to unveil the building with an alley of chestnut trees slowly. The landscape is intended such that the building does not sit conspicuously on the site but is subtly complemented and unwrapped with the well-planned plantation of trees and bushes around it. 

Kiley treated each direction differently, considering all the natural features and micro-climate on the site. The east side of the house is planted with blocks of apple trees arranged in a grid on the lawn. The eastmost edge is treated as the boundary with alternated blocks of arborvitae planted along the edge, serving as a porous hedge boundary for the site. Crabapples replaced the redbuds planted in the north lawns of the site. Arborvitae hedge also lines the southwest corner of the house. It is noteworthy how the west side of the house is lined with honey locust trees framing a view from the house to the meadows. 

Kiley did an excellent job in framing the building with the landscape so that, on the one hand, it is not imposing on the site. On the other hand, it is revealed gradually and is framed from certain angles, which adds to the beauty of the hard-core structure designed by Saarinen.

The Interior Design

Adding to the beauty of this raw structure by Eero Saarinen, Alexander Girard designed contrasting colourful interiors for the Miller house. The vibrant fabrics and pimping finish he used for the house bring in warmth and wonderfully juxtaposes the rectilinear design by Saarinen. He designed bookshelves and cabinets along the walls mounted within the niches for a neat and orderly look, with a bay for all the equipment in the storage. Miller’s eclectic objects are focused on the display, with every other gadget having a space in the storage. 

Girard designed some patterns for the curtains and the rugs in contrast to the simplicity of the structural layout. The dining chairs and the cushion covers that he designed are the highlights in the interiors as they comprehend the Miller family’s initials. He suggested the conservation pit in the living room to avoid heavy furniture pieces and maintain the linearity of Saarinen’s design. His choice of colours and liveliness of the interiors breaks the rectilinear geometry of the house, which brings in the character making the house a piece of timeless architecture.

This house was a breakthrough in the modernist time and was declared a National Historic landmark in 2000. It was owned by the Miller family until 2008, when Xenia Miller passed away. The members of the Miller family donated it to the Indianapolis Museum of art in 2009. It is a perfect example of what genius can be created when three very creative minds are put together.

• Yellowtrace. (2014).  Miller House & Garden by Eero Saarinen | Yellowtrace.  [online] Available at: https://www.yellowtrace.com.au/eero-saarinen-miller-house/ [Accessed 2 Jul. 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021.  Miller House (Columbus, Indiana) – Wikipedia . [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_House_(Columbus,_Indiana)> [Accessed 3 July 2021].
• Williamson, L. (n.d.).  Miller House in Columbus, Indiana by Eero Saarinen Modern Home by… . [online] Dwell. Available at: https://www.dwell.com/home/miller-house-in-columbus-indiana-by-eero-saarinen-7565ad76 [Accessed 3 Jul. 2021].
• ArchDaily. (2011).  AD Classics: Miller House and Garden / Eero Saarinen . [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/116596/ad-classics-miller-house-and-garden-eero-saarinen [Accessed 3 Jul. 2021].

Aditi is a creative soul and a firm believer in procedural learning. She looks towards building a sustainable milieu by linking the built environment to the roots of India’s culture. She is an ardent reader and holds a keen interest in art, architecture and aesthetics.

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Ten timeless mid-century modern interiors

For our latest Dezeen lookbook , we have collected 10 projects from the Dezeen archives that showcase elegant mid-century modern interiors with a contemporary feel.

As the name suggests, mid-century modern is the name of a style of design and architecture from the middle of the 20th century, usually seen as spanning from the mid-1940s until the late 1960s.

A number of designers and architects who were active during this period created furniture pieces that have gone on to become modern classics, including chairs by Ray and Charles Eames and lights by Isamu Noguchi .

Here, we have gathered images of 10 projects where mid-century modern design has been used to create interiors that are elegant without feeling cold or stark.

This is the latest roundup in our  Dezeen Lookbooks series that provides visual inspiration for designers and design enthusiasts. Previous lookbooks include  home libraries ,  minimalist bedrooms and Shaker-style interiors .

Frost House, US, Karen Valentine and Bob Coscarelli

Michigan's Frost House is a prefabricated house from the 1960s. New owners Karen Valentine and Bob Coscarelli decided to minimise their interventions and take a preservationist approach when they bought the house, which still has its original layout.

Frost House has also retained its original Knoll furniture, including a gridded-steel Bertoia side chair, as well as its distinctive built-in cabinetry.

Find out more about Frost House ›

Biscuit Loft, US, by OWIU Studio

Pieces by mid-century modern designers such as Ray and Charles Eames, whose lounge chair sits next to a floor-to-ceiling window, and Isamu Noguchi decorate this Los Angeles loft that was designed to nod to Japanese minimalism.

The living room 's neutral cream-coloured palette is enhanced by wooden details and black window frames, which add a graphic element to the interior.

Find out more about Biscuit Loft ›

Eames House, US, by Charles and Ray Eames

Perhaps the ultimate example of mid-century modern design, designer couple Ray and Charles Eames' eponymous house is filled with the couple's own creations.

The current decor is meant to reflect how they enjoyed the property, with various furniture , books, fabrics, art, shells, rocks and straw baskets kept in the building, which was completed by the Eameses in 1949.

It is viewed as a key example of the Case Study House experiments for building postwar American homes.

Find out more about Eames House ›

Puro Hotel, Poland, by Studio Paradowski

Studio Paradowski's renovation of a hotel in Kraków , Poland, was informed by the city's interwar cafes as well as the "clean functionalism" of its mid-century modern cinemas.

The result is a beautifully realised interior with a strong retro flavour but a contemporary layout and details. Natural oak panelling and stone was used together with Polish-made glass and ceramics to create tactile surfaces.

Find out more about Puro Hotel ›

Moore House, US, by Woods + Dangaran

Los Angeles studio Woods + Dangaran gave the Moore House in LA's Los Feliz neighbourhood a refresh that preserved many of the 1960s house's original details.

In the bedroom , pale teak panelling and large glazing that opens out onto a verdant garden lend the room the feeling of a mid-century holiday home. A black-leather upholstered Eames chair and bedside rice lamp add to the laid-back vibe.

Find out more about Moore House ›

Louveira Apartment, Brazil, by Ana Sawaia

This São Paulo apartment features vintage furniture and colourful patterned surfaces in a clever broken-plan interior . Pieces such as the wood-and-leather Boomerang chair by American architect Richard Neutra perfectly suit the style of the 1946 Louveira building.

Window frames were painted yellow to match the facade of the building, their bright hues matching the polished wood used for both the floor and much of the furniture.

Find out more about Louveria Apartment ›

Eichler house, US, by Michael Hennessey

This two-storey residence in San Francisco 's Diamond Heights neighbourhood features post-and-beam structures, an open floor plan and glass walls.

In the living room, an elegant metal reading light hangs over a mid-century style chair and a cosy rug softens the room's hard surfaces and symmetrical lines.

Find out more about Eichler House ›

Gallery apartment, Brazil, by BC Arquitetos

BC Arquitetos designed this Brazilian apartment to look like an art gallery, filling it with decorative sculptures and classic furniture designs by Brazilian masters of the 1950s and 1960s.

Sculptural furniture is displayed against a backdrop of walnut panelling that wraps the apartment. A black and white Akari light by Isamu Noguchi for Vitra peeps into the living space from an adjacent room.

Find out more about Gallery Apartment ›

Azabu Residence, Japan, by Norm Architects and Kaiji Ashizawa Design

This minimalist Tokyo home features muted dark tones and natural materials, as well as bespoke furniture created by the studios who designed it together.

"This project has been inspired from the interior design of mid-century American and Brazilian modernist uses of warm dark natural materials and wooden wall panelling, lush carpets and tactile upholstery," designer Keiji Ashizawa told Dezeen.

Find out more about Azabu Residence ›

Irwin Caplan house, US, by SHED

This 1950s house in the Pacific Northwest was originally built for cartoonist Irwin Caplan. Today, it is a modern home, with an interior that nonetheless respects the bones of the building.

White Eames shell chairs sit around a streamlined wooden table in the dining area , which also has a graphic "Modernist" lamp from Z-Lite.

Find out more about Irwin Caplan house ›

This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen's image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing  home libraries ,  minimalist bedrooms  and  Shaker-style interiors .

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This Modern House Design Follows the Principles of the Case Study House Program

Text supplied by Takt / Studio for Architecture

A few hours south of Sydney, secluded, this place offers breathtaking views of Kangaroo Valley and the Tasman Sea beyond. Backed to the west by a dramatic hillside of untouched rainforest, the Yarrawa Brush, is home to a number of unique species of ancient flora and fauna.

The components of the brief for Takt Studio – a modest main house and smaller pavilion with guest accommodation – were positioned  just off the sides of a gentle knoll, creating a third space, an outdoor courtyard.  

This captured landscape was developed to make the most of opportunities for entry sequencing. It offers a momentary pause on arrival, to appreciate the connection and unusual contrast between wild rainforest and open manicured  pastureland.

Protected from the major winds through the valley, it forms a becalmed harbour on the hill. This siting and entry sequence deliberately delays, and draws out the inevitable reveal of the magnificent view. 

A simple structural system was developed – expressed steel  post and beam. Planning is efficient. A propped skylight slot runs the entire length of the main house, which enables a  connection between the two contrasting edges of the site. It mixes the distinctly different qualities of the eastern and  western light throughout the day, shifting mood subtly over time.  

Within the singular section, incisions are made to accommodate protected outdoor spaces. The creation of these deep zones of threshold condition within the building mean comfortable delightful spaces can be sought and found in most times of day or direction of wind. 

Balancing the drama is a warm internal joinery fit out. Blackwood joinery, and accent colours throughout take their cues from the early morning light across the landscape.

A simple palette of robust and straightforward materials – fieldstone  from the site, rough sawn cladding, raw fibre cement sheet, hardwood window joinery, bespoke door handles. Hidden in floor firewood storage adds a playful air to everyday utility.  

An off grid home on a remote site, this project required input from a dedicated and diverse team, from specialist  environmental consultants, to carpenters, joiners, window and door makers, environmental systems suppliers, and skillful stone masons.  

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