I'd call it "of it's era" and while there are parts of it that I like a lot, there are a couple things that would drive me a little nuts, namely:

The support column in the LR in the middle of the seating group.

The master bed half under a flat, low ceiling half under a vault. I'm not a stickler for feng shui, but that's bad feng shui in a way that makes perfect sense as to why it's bad.

That's a pole for live entertainment. Notice the piano.

But, yes, some things are weird, e.g. that round deck.

I think that architect's or designer's own homes can be kind of like a hair stylist's hair. Most of my stylists' hair (and the hair of the ones I see out taking cigarette breaks in the neighborhood)--have weird hair, either a weird cut, or a weird color or both. And this is not stuff they do for their clients. (I live down the block from a very well established, very expensive salon, as an example--and they do very refined cuts for the most part).

So I think that architects and designers are the same: they do things for themselves that they might not do, (or get away with) for another client.

I'll take the closet. Now. Please.
What jars me a bit is I expect modern furniture to go with, where's the Eames etc?

I had a really hard time getting past all of the wrong furnishings. This is one of those cases where someone really should work at staging this house before listing. Even empty would have been better.

Cool house. Wrong furnishings.

As for the odd placement of the pole in the center of the seating group -- I would have flipped the piano area and the seating group .... even if that switch just helped the sales .....

The round deck and furnishings dont seem to fit.

It's pretty common on parts of the East Coast (Philadelphia and D.C.--where this house is--come to mind, in particular) to have a contemporary house with a lot antique furniture, or the converse--an antique house with lots of contemporary furniture.

Actually this house is a bit new for mid-century modern furniture. That period was ending by then, and the iconic Eames pieces were 30 years old (and of limited popularity) at this point. The "contemporary" for this house would be Karl Springer, Milo Baughman, Vladimir Kagan, and the heavier disco era furniture. Rounded puffy sofas and ottomans, lacquered parchment tables with brass trim, Lucite, burl patchwork pieces, etc.

Well, that explains it then. :)

The era was immediately apparent to me, having lived it. Lots to like, but those awful split ceiling levels trying and mostly failing to dictate furniture placement. Or worse, not meant to. Our son's living room is also damaged by that same, basically unfixable lowered ceiling area holding a gallery upstairs.

I've never cared for the notion that furniture choice should freeze to match architectural era. After all, by that standard, people in genuine colonials should be sitting on very dainty, straight-backed wooden chairs and settees, no comfy springs allowed, and those in 60-year-old faux colonialish tract homes should all be out scouring Good Wills for the chunky, over-turned maple colonialish imaginings of their homes' eras. Vintage wall paper with cast iron cook pots on it eagerly embraced and shown off and side tables with cutouts to hold houseplants lovingly restored.

Homes, after all, are living architecture and ability to accommodate their owners' wishes, done tastefully hopefully, is an important survival trait.

I have to admit that the furniture threw me off, so I didn't even notice the pole in the seating area. I like the bathrooms. The kitchen is pretty cool, but a little too monochromatic for my taste.
Still, I have to say that I would have expected a more unusual (or more avantgarde) home by a top architect.

"Still, I have to say that I would have expected a more unusual (or more avantgarde) home by a top architect."

If the AIA is anything like the professional organization I belong to in my other profession, it's not necessarily the most innovative and talented practitioner(s) who are involved in the governing arm of the profession. They are usually well-respected and good within organizational and administrative settings.

For example, some of the presidents of the Screen Actors Guild have been Melissa Gilbert (Little House on the Prairie), Ken Howard (The White Shadow) and Ed Asner. Decent, solid actors but not really top stars.

I felt that it has potential, but a few large problems.

Hodgepodge of residential and commercial contract features combined, unsuccessfully. Bad door knobs on the foyer closet, for example. Remind me of a pediatrician's office. How about some half circle knobs to play up the door's windows. And that ornate table is too jarring by itself, and needs some transition help.

I felt the orientation of the dining table to be wrong. Turn it so it plays up the ceiling.

Serious lack of art.

White color is too stark.

Bathrooms again have bad combination of commercial and residential finishes, and a way that makes it seem too jarring instead of special.

Too few small intimate spaces. Sarah Susanka would have a lot more to say on this!

Pal, hadn't thought of that, but, yes, the same happens in my field. Almost as if the really "good" people are too busy to deal with the administrative stuff.

Some really good parts, some not so. And it looks like he did an overall nice job with the house and 'she' (or someone else) furnished a lot of it with a heavy hand in colonial. Loved the closet, sauna and some of the bathrooms and guest rooms. But the round patio was just wrong and uncomfortable. And the pole! Makes it look like an optical illusion in there. And what's with the floor finishes in that room?

I can't get over the lion picture in the pole room. It looks like one of those black velvet paintings. It made me anticipate the dogs playing poker in another room.

I noticed a "Feng Shui" book on one of the shelves when I looked at the pictures for about the tenth time. I would imagine this house was pretty much decorated when built and has had minimal changes.

It appears the house is under contract.

I thought the traditional dining table, oriental rug & den with the brick fireplace wall were a beautiful combo, but then I love contemporary houses furnished sparely with beautiful traditional furnishings. That and the kitchen and the basement space would be enough for me to overlook the awkward pole (wrap it with hundreds of little white LED lights and call it a light fixture!).

I actually like the way the house is decorated--looks like the home of well-travelled academics. As Pal said, mixing higher end contemporary architecture with antiques is quite common in the east/northeast. Reminds me of many homes I've seen around Amherst, MA. The house itself is nice enough, to me, but nothing I would choose for myself. But then again, I don't think I've ever seen a 70s contemporary that really appealed to me.

Love Audrey and IKEA, but Ikea ART doesn't really go with the well-traveled academic image. Unless we're talking again meta, meta.... and the daughter insisted.

I had wondered if that room was staged.

I've seen other multi bedroom houses that have been lived in a long time and out of nowhere there is a bedroom (usually a "girls") that is very au courant. I suppose it could be a granddaughter's room to stay when visiting, but I get the feeling that these are rooms that are emptied out that have been staged so as to not seem so abandoned compared to the rest of the furnished house.

Didn't notice the Audrey poster until now. I also just now caught the Alexandria, VA location. I checked the house out on Trulia and see that it was last sold in 1994. So here's my new imagined scenario: high ranking retired military family (based on some of the family photos). Someone is a musician, possibly in academia, or good government job. Couple are baby boomers (based on clothing/accessories in closet). Bedroom with Audrey poster belonged to a young adult child who has since left the nest. (By the way, I do think someone staged this house). That's my guess!

The house has great bones and lots of potential. I would have liked to have seen it as it was originally built without all the add-ons through the years.

I'm not crazy about the style in which it's been decorated. It does look like many things probably came from travels which I think is great. I love that kind of look when the majority of the furniture "fits" the style of the house. Then throw in a few antique pieces including rugs (but oh, my - not the circa 80s floral upholstered breakfast chairs!).

Hopefully, the new owners can take it to new heights.

Wow, WMA89, you are spot on!

I had assumed it was staged.