I like it!

Mmm, I really like this. The fireplace, the catwalk(LOVE), the den(?) .... all of it. I wouldn't change much.

Interesting story, too, thanks for sharing.

Do the bedrooms off the catwalk have very low ceilings? The View from the dining room to the front doors makes me feel like I'm in an elevator that is stuck between floors!

Like the house. Do not like the furnishings, esp that LR off the foyer - might as well be empty. Not sure about the front doors -- they look medieval.

I don't think the bedrooms have low ceiling height: look at the top of the door vs. the ceiling height on the catwalk.

I like it! Maybe not enough to buy it, though. The not quite matching bathroom tiles/tub reminds me of my parents' remodel in the 1960s.

Hudee ring - I had no idea there was a name for those things.

Have we seen those little fireplaces in large facades before in his houses? This in itself bothers me. Would love to have seen the interior furnished when first built.

No clue what to do with this place. The interior says something totally different than the exterior.

The split level is never my favorite. They are always like open basements to me. Unless there is something really important down there I would close it off and put a door or another stairway by the existing stairways so you wouldn't have to look at it.

Enjoyed your conversation with the architect. Blunt is an understatement, but he probably has great stories to tell beyond the amount of time you were able to spend. He is one of those I'd love to know and listen too.

Meant to add that the wall by the dining room would never pass inspection if built today. I keep visualizing a drunk guest falling over it to get to dinner.

Very interesting, Pal ...

From the curb, it seems to be missing the more generous horizontal dimension that characterizes Wright - it's like the love child of a long low Wright house and an English stone cottage. Then you get inside, and there's some horizontal flow.

And yet, it seems to me to lack imagination, particularly in the design of the gallery rail and the rather pinched massing of the curving stair. It's also missing the characteristic flow of flooring materials from inside to out. Maybe that's because of the carpet - but that connection through the doors to the terrace isn't there.

About the ceiling height, one of my favorite of FLW's peculiarities is that he thought the ideal height for a person was 5'9", and made his Usonian house proportions uncomfortable for anyone much bigger. Guess how tall he was ... ?

Still, despite my carping, I think it has real potential for someone with respect for its original intention, the imagination to furnish it well, and the budget to rip out that ghastly bathroom.

I like the actual hex and the shade of blue, though. The floor was *probably another not-quite-matching blue and porcelain white text tile.

I think the reduced number but concentrated use of materials is nice. It would be awesome to do a kitchen in the same matched veneer as the den.

I think the house does has some flaws, for sure.

I don't know what is going on with the partial walls and such around the curved stair.

The tiny firebox could be bigger, and as it presents now, the catwalk does not look like any sort of destination. It would need a Lot of good art to make it work. There may have been at some point, the house is obviously cleaned out and staged.

I actually like the rail design because it's simple, and so often the railings that got put in these places were of the stock exterior type. Our complex is full of the black straight and twisted alternating baluster railing that used to be put all over front porches.

This post was edited by palimpsest on Wed, May 29, 13 at 10:00

That's certainly true - the railing is so much better than the usual yawn-enducing things you describe.

And you are so right about the kitchen idea.

What a great house! I love the windows, the expanse, the split levels (yes!!!), the entry door, the stone, the paneling, and even the railing & the dangerous half wall. I like the bathroom even, though I'd switch out the oval sink for a rectangular one (integrated bowl, some kind of solid surface again; I prefer the look of rectangular sinks in contemporary homes).

It would be a nice house for a child: the overlooks to "spy" on people, the hallway to nowhere -- great play spot.

Looks like there's a nice balance between private nooks and public, interactive space. You could retreat to the LR with a book without being completely cut off from the family watching sports in the FR. I had a house like that once, and I loved that aspect of it.

Is the entry floor vinyl? It's not awful looking, but perhaps it could be done better. The parquet floor in the DR -- a little fussy, but I'd keep it & try to work with it. The recessed cans along the walls are wonderfully atmospheric, but I wonder how dark the rest of the rooms are & how they could be lighted without cluttering the rooms with lamps.

The house looks to be in excellent shape, judging from the photos.

Yes, I'd buy it.

This post was edited by awm03 on Wed, May 29, 13 at 11:10

It's very nice.

The front reminds me of the old WPA visitor centers you'd find tucked into the woods in places like Silver Falls, OR, but the inside is completely different (but somehow appropriate).

Just a fun house. Practical? I dunno, but it would be worth trying. And yes the blue tiled bathroom is lovely!

It looks like a pleasant house. Wish I could see the bedrooms and kitchen, but the rooms shown make me want the house. Love that the design is here but not too overwhelming. Some room for adding a personal touch.

The bathroom is wonderful, and the catwalk is a great place to display an art collection. Makes me want to put everything we inherited from my in-laws' modernist art collection there! Love the parquet floor, too. It looks like a good quality, not the HD junk.

The furniture is bland and generic, but it's only staging, after all.

Where is it? I really really like it!

I like the spaciousness of the rooms in this house. I'm not a fan of FLW or MCM, but I could live happily in this house. I'd need to see the kitchen first, though.

I had trouble finding it because I thought it was cheaper than it is. It is in Rydal, PA and is listed at $639K--so now I am not sure where that puts it, price-wise. Probably still pretty reasonable.

The bedrooms are typical midcentury bedrooms, rectangles, and these have decent windows. One is pink, one is lavender, one is teal (mostly just based on carpet).

The kitchen appears to be a 90s redo, so I didn't picture it. It is on the lower level behind the dining room and has a large picture window on the primary counter run, and I am assuming a connection to the outside. I has a lot of potential.

Love, love, love this house! Unlike some of Wright's designs, it looks liveable. The leaded glass over the door is very characteristic of the style.

Pal, I visited Talesin West a few years ago. The architects who came to work with Wright typically stayed one year. They lived in a canvas tent on the property, took their meals in the house but were involved in all aspects of maintenance, including gardening. And they all had to bring a tuxedo for formal music nights!