The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire—which features works by the likes of Monet, Picasso, and O’Keefe—just added Frank Lloyd Wright’s Toufic H. Kalil House to its collection. The home is one of seven Usonian Automatic homes in existence, and now it will be preserved ad infinitum thanks to an anonymous donor.
The space below the stairs in this revamped Brooklyn brownstone was turned into a cheerful play area for the clients' two boys. "We built an egg shaped 'nook' underneath the staircase, and filled it with soft ‘pebble’ pillows," adds architect Frederick Tang.
Have your children help you go through their book collections and pick out what books they haven't read yet. If you are able to safely leave your home, you can coordinate curbside dropoff book exchanges with friends.
Indoor/outdoor living was a priority in the redesign, and the interior was reconfigured so that views of the backyard and the majestic gum tree can be immediately seen as soon as the front door is opened.
The firm also widened the room and raised the ceilings. A coat of bright white paint modernizes the historic details.
"The geometries converse with the impressive body of the existing farm, at the same time making their mark in the natural surroundings," notes Cécile Combelle, co-founder of the firm.
"The asymmetrical volume, enveloping form, chiaroscuro effect of the curved corridor, shadows, margins, thresholds, voids, and raw materials allow the unique atmosphere of the place to emerge without concealing the structural logic of the house," says Antonio Di Bacco of Atelier Barda.
The bedrooms and the bathroom are located within the fold of the V-shaped section, and are separated from the common area by a dividing wall.
Given the simplicity of the house’s brick façade—a seven-foot brick base with a massive gabled roof on top—the complex spatial geometry of the interiors comes as a surprise to visitors.
The house is about 3,000 square feet with six bedrooms, four of them on the second floor, surrounding a stairway to the large open space below where cooking, dining, game-playing, and movie-watching take place.