In the excellent video above, acclaimed interior and furniture designer David Netto takes a tour of the Neutra VDL Research Site in Silverlake.
Built in three waves — the first two by Richard Neutra in 1932 and 1940 and the third by Richard and Dion Neutra in 1966 following a fire in the 1932 wing — the residence is notable for becoming a cultural and political salon attracting some of the world’s most prominent thinkers, as well as launching the careers of many esteemed architects. It housed the Neutra office as well as three separate families with patios, pools, and rooftop and balcony gardens.
“Neutra had the best understanding of human happiness,” notes Netto. “Of all the major modernist architects, he had a good marriage, and he was really a family man. And in spite of all the manifesto aspect of his being a great designer, he insisted that his houses have that as a priority, which is why there is such a delight.”
“The house stood for what [Neutra] was proposing: this Utopian future,” says Netto.
As we’ve shared recently, owning your own “House of Neutra” is now a possibility, courtesy of a new partnership between Dion Neutra (Richard’s long-time partner in the Neutra Office), California Architecture Conservancy (CAC) and the Neutra Office. To discover how you can license the architectural plans of mid-century master Richard Neutra to serve as the basis for a new home, click here.
