The Houses Famous Architects Built for Themselves
Philip Johnson's Glass House, Frank Gehry's chain link home, Luis Barragán's house in Mexico City and Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin. What architects build when the client is themselves.
Luxom Studio · LUXOM Developments
· 3 min read · Last reviewed
Key takeaways
- Philip Johnson completed the Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut, in 1949: a single room with glass walls on all four sides.
- Frank Gehry remodeled his own house in Santa Monica in the late 1970s by wrapping an existing bungalow in chain link and corrugated metal, and many of his neighbors disliked it.
- Luis Barragán's house and studio in Mexico City, completed in 1948, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004.
- Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin in Wisconsin burned twice, in 1914 and 1925, and he rebuilt it both times.
- An architect's own house shows what they really believe, because there is no client to compromise with.
Editor's note
What do architects build when the client is themselves? No budget committee, no second opinion, no one to compromise with. This is the list we send to anyone who comments GLASSHOUSE on our reel: four houses famous architects built for themselves, and what each one says about how to live.
Philip Johnson Lived in a Glass Box
Philip Johnson completed the Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut, in 1949. It is a single room with glass walls on all four sides, set on a lawn above a pond. The only enclosed space is a brick cylinder that holds the bathroom.
The belief behind it: the landscape is the wall. Privacy came from owning enough land around the house, not from closing it in. It is now owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and open for tours.
Frank Gehry Wrapped His Home in Chain Link
In the late 1970s, Frank Gehry bought an ordinary Dutch colonial bungalow in Santa Monica and remodeled it by wrapping it in chain link, corrugated metal and plywood. The Gehry Residence looked unfinished on a quiet residential street, and many of his neighbors disliked it.
The belief behind it: ordinary materials can carry architecture if they are used with intent. The house became one of the defining works of his career, long before the titanium curves he is famous for today.
Luis Barragán's House Is a World Heritage Site
The Luis Barragán House and Studio in Mexico City was completed in 1948. From the street it is almost silent: plain walls and small openings. Inside, it is organized around light, color and private gardens. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004.
The belief behind it: serenity is designed. Barragán, who trained as an engineer and taught himself architecture, built a house that turns its back on the noise of the city. It is the same idea behind placing a courtyard at the center of a plan so every room faces inward.
Frank Lloyd Wright Rebuilt Taliesin Twice
Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio near Spring Green, Wisconsin, was badly damaged by fire in 1914 and again in 1925. Each time, Wright rebuilt it. The house that stands today is often called Taliesin III.
The belief behind it: a house is never finished. Wright kept changing Taliesin for the rest of his life, treating it as a working laboratory for his ideas about how a building should grow out of its land.
Your Own House Shows What You Really Believe
Each of these houses is a statement with no client to blame for it. Johnson believed in the landscape, Gehry in ordinary materials, Barragán in silence and Wright in a house that keeps evolving.
That is how we approach every home we design in Miami. Before we draw a plan, we ask what the family believes about how to live: what should be open, what should be private, where the light should land. The answer shapes the house, as it did for every architect on this list. To see how those beliefs play out on real Coconut Grove homes, start with four residences, four ways to live in Coconut Grove.
Pull quote
Your own house shows what you really believe. There is no client to blame.
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Questions about houses famous architects designed for themselves
01What is Philip Johnson's Glass House?
It is the house Philip Johnson built for himself in New Canaan, Connecticut, completed in 1949. It is a single open room enclosed by glass on all four sides, with only a brick cylinder holding the bathroom. It is now owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and open for tours.
02Why did Frank Gehry's neighbors dislike his house?
In the late 1970s Gehry wrapped an ordinary Dutch colonial bungalow in Santa Monica with chain link, corrugated metal and plywood. In a quiet residential street, it looked unfinished to many neighbors. It is now considered one of the key works of his career.
03Can you visit Luis Barragán's house?
Yes. The Luis Barragán House and Studio in Mexico City operates as a museum with guided visits, usually booked in advance. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004.
04Why was Taliesin rebuilt twice?
Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio near Spring Green, Wisconsin, was badly damaged by fire in 1914 and again in 1925. Wright rebuilt it each time, and the version that stands today is often called Taliesin III.
05What can a homeowner learn from these houses?
That a house works best when it is designed around a clear belief about how to live. Our guide to a centered courtyard plan shows one of those beliefs applied to a real Coconut Grove home.
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Written by Luxom Studio · LUXOM Developments
The design and development studio behind LUXOM residences in Coconut Grove, Miami
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