Living in an Eichler

Morning after moving in

Documentation of the Experience

 

Yesterday, we moved into our Eichler. This is 48 years after I first saw one. I do not yet know the history but I believe that this in one of the early ones - very simple, very low cost.

As I am writing this, I am sitting in bed looking out a glass wall into a small fenced-in Patio. Last night was a rainy evening and it still drizzling. Light is beginning to appear. This house is oriented so that morning light comes into the Master Bedroom. It is a nice way to greet a Sunday morning.

We did not buy the house, we are leasing it. These pages will document our experiences of both adapting to the house and adapting it to our lifestyle which in some ways is different from what these houses were designed for.

The first thing you learn about these houses is that they are small. This is not a house for a lot of furniture. They are much like the Usonians in this regard. The layout, however, is extremely efficient. This house makes smallness a virtue. Nowhere does it feel crowded. A poorly designed house that is actually larger will feel smaller (in the negative sense of the word) than this environment does.

The Living Room (above) will actually become our work Studio. The Dining/Family Room will become our living/entertainment/dining area (see below).

In about 1150 square feet the house has a Living Room, Kitchen, Dining/Family Room, Master Bedroom, two additional Bedrooms and two full baths. Many raised a family in these houses. We will, of course use the spaces somewhat differently - that is part of adapting the house to a new use.

Besides the enjoyment of living in an Eichler, I have a professional interest in them and in their future. As an exercise in design, I intend to develop a set of drawings for how this particular home can be modified for contemporary life. Given that we are leasing, naturally, we are not going to do much modification to what is. However, the exercise of making this a place to live and a SOHO home office, using our AI WorkFurniture, also connects this experience to my Bay Area Studio Project. The design process of each and the living experience of the Eichler should inform each other.

There are a number of problems with this house - some are because of changes and compromises made over time, some intrinsic to the design, and some related to the rather poor workmanship of the original construction. The house has enormous potential especially if the intent of the design is understood and followed though with. It is sad to see the number of Eichlers that have been modified in ways that attempt to make them into what they are not instead of exploring further down the road they already travel. The art of modifying a work of architecture is as complex as making it in the first place.

Palo Alto
January 23, 2000

Move-in and first set up:

Our furniture came in early March and we filled the house with furnishings from our Sea Loft plus a new bed and couch.

This is not an easy house to furnish, however, familiar things, pictures and flowers made the place start to feel like home.

During April we focussed on landscaping - mostly interior and with some exterior pieces.

We have been busy with business and travel so there has not been a great deal of time to work on the house. The benefit of this is we are getting the experience of how we actually us it. So far, the room we are not using is the Music Room (the original Family/Dining Areas). I do not know if this is because of time, the arrangement or the fact that we have not fully set our equipment up. The room seems too dark. It is the only room in the house that has this problem. There is a simple fix to this but that means altering the structure.

 

Patio - May 29, 2000

 

Studio Design:

The original Living Room is our Studio, at home, work space. It turns out that this is, also, the best sitting area in the house. This is because both space and light are best in this room for the purpose. This makes the functional requirements of the space more complex than if it was to be only a place of work.

As I drew the cross section from measurements, I could sense the thought process of an architect, long ago, as he “solved” the basic design problems for the first time. There are a couple of nice asymmetrical tricks in how this space was laid out. This is a small, intimate, well proportioned room. It is important not to spoil the sense of scale as a new use is designed for it. It is also important to reinforce the design element that are there: Large glass walls (on two sides), intimate courtyard views (on two sides), fireplace, extended roof overhangs.

For these reasons, I decided that the work table had to read as a single unit, create a certain mass at the wall but be very light as it projects into the room. This is why the table is suspended from the ceiling. This allows unrestricted access on three sides and lets the surface “float” from off of the wall mass. It also dissolves certain complications due to an uneven slab.

The way the entire unit works and storage is accomplished, the work surface can be used for eating from time to time.

This is Gail’s corner of the Studio area as it was on August 15, 2000.

 

Matt Taylor
January 23, 2000

Palo Alto


posted January 23, 2000

revised August 16, 2000
• 20000123.03454.mt20000816.30542.mt •

(note: this document is about 5% finished)

update to Matt’s Notebook

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