Architect: Richard Neutra.
Location: Palm Springs, California, United States.
Year: 1947.
Photographs: Thom Watson.

Richard Neutra was one of the most significant if often overlooked architects of the 20th Century, working with Frank Lloyd Wright and Rudolf Schindler until 1930. He designed the Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, California, a vacation home for Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr. and his family to escape the harsh winters of the northeast. The design is simplistic, with a living room and dining room at the center of the house. The Kaufmann House branches out like a pinwheel in each of the cardinal directions, with the most important aspects oriented east/west and supporting features oriented north/south. The north and south wings are the most public parts of the house, while the west wing is the service wing and the east wing is the Kaufmann’s master suite. The swimming pool creates a compositional balance of the overall design, creating a cohesive balance and harmony throughout the design.