Case study
“An architectural piece to live in, just the right size.”
- 01
Before
When the house came to market in 2018, it was, in one account, begging for architectural mercy: later overhangs and sun screens had been added to Ellwood's frame.
- 02
The idea
A minimal steel frame and glass, built in 1956 for the illustrator Charles Kuderna by Craig Ellwood, the architect of three houses in the Case Study House Program, with James Tyler.
- 03
The intervention
Philippe Naouri bought it that year and restored it from the archives of James Tyler, with the archivist Barton Jahncke. The additions came off; the yellow exterior spiral stairs, the windows and the woodwork were restored.
- 04
The restraint
The floor-to-ceiling jalousie windows, the brick-and-steel fireplace and the walls of glass are original and stayed.
- 05
Material and detail
Hand-poured terrazzo floors, walnut-clad walls, George Nelson pulls on new joinery, the yellow of the stairs against white steel.
