Neutra tour: the good, the bad, and the ugly

our little Neutra house tour / blogger meet-up was slightly cramped by the 100 degree weather this weekend, but a few of us made it out! I was so excited to meet the gals (and guy) that braved the heat to check out this amazing piece of architectural history...I know a couple of the other ladies will be blogging the tour as well, but I decided that I wanted to post all the "sad bits".

as we've come to learn, the Neutra VDL Research House is in poor condition and is in desperate need of financial support...I was so impressed with the structure itself, but it was disappointing to come face to face with things like crumbling walls, peeling paint, and warped cabinets.

this is the first thing I saw when I walked into the front room...most all of the many levels of roofs leak and the ceilings are badly damaged.

this is in the library/living room on the second floor and you can see that this ceiling also desperately needs to be replaced.

much (maybe even all?) of the furniture in the house originally belonged to the Neutra family, but as you can see here, the lamps are rusted and the chairs are stained...the place would really benefit from a few refreshed pieces of furniture.

the veneer of the cabinets has begun to warp and peel off...I believe this was in one of the bedrooms.

peeling wall paint next to an ancient thermostat

the reflecting pools, which can be found in the front of the house as well as on nearly every roof, have all been drained to save money and because they leak.

most of the roofs are covered in tarp in an attempt to keep rain from collecting and further damaging the structure.

I loved this charming little kitchen on the first floor, but the cabinet has been marred by the heat from the stove.

wait, don't get too blue! but there are also lots and lots of amazing, inspiring things to see! for example...

both the front and the back of the VDL home have been outfitted with huge sliding glass doors, which (literally) erased the walls between indoors and outdoors-- something in which Neutra firmly believed.

one of the many charming little patio areas...this specific one was on the ground level and looked into the back house, which was originally designed for Neutra's children.

the way he used windows and mirrors was absolutely stunning. this simple bedroom was less than half the size of what most of us are used to, but it felt open and airy...limitless, really.

I looooved the second floor living area and our tourguide said it was most people's favorite room. how could you not fall in love with the simple seating, sunny color palate, and shelves of books?

I watched my fellow blogger's eyes light up at the sight of this charming needlepoint pillow tucked into the corner of the canary couch. I want one exactly like it!

all of these books are original to the Neutra family...there were many languages on that shelf and I like the juxtaposition of the tattered dust jackets and the futuristic light switches.

and finally...a bit of tile porn:


oh, and we can't forget the view from the penthouse...

thanks, Richard Neutra.