and end up on this landing area:
From this spot you run into more of the FLW mind control. There is a long, dark hallway that leads to the private bedroom of Mrs. Kaufmann and the study of Mr. Kaufmann, and steep, unfriendly staircase that leads to a private study, a dark-ish hallway with a very bright light at the end, and the guest bedroom. I wish I'd have captured this better, so you could really get the effect, but the basic notion is that instead of separating public/private space with doors or gates FLW separates them through psychological means. You'd rather go down the hallway toward the light (which leads to the breezeway/stairs for the guest house), than the hallway that is dark. You'd rather go into the bright room behind you (the guest room), than up the steep staircase (private study). Psychologically it sorts you out instead of relying of physical barriers. I thought that was fascinatingly brilliant.
Here is the guest room:
A couple of things to note in this picture. The bed is low, but just out of frame on the right is a wall of glass - windows and door to the guest terrace. Lying on the bed you can actually look out over the terrace wall into the forest. (Side note: all the terrace walls are dangerously low. Again, this house was built for a specific customer, a specific lifestyle, in a specific moment in time, and that means that this house is not child-friendly ... or a friend to the elderly or wobbly either. It was meant for adults - healthy, active adults.)
Also take note of the painting over the side-table. It is a Diego Rivera original, and if my memory serves, was given to the Kaufmanns by Frida Kahlo (his wife, and their guest). Almost every room in the house has very valuable artwork, Lalique crystal and glass, and Tiffany lamps and glass. The Kaufmanns were definitely well to do.
Tiffany glass, I can't remember if it is a lamp or just something pretty. This guest room is the only room in the house that has blinds. Mrs. Kaufmann wanted to give some privacy to her guests, especially since from her terrace you can see right into the guest room.
Ventilation was a critical issue in a house built over a waterfall. FLW used ventilation windows throughout the house, some in odd, but interesting places to help keep the wet, musty smell our of the house.
Back on the landing: if you walk down the hallway toward the bright light you run into this:
Seriously I love the planter being both inside outside. Like someone built the door around it. There is also another boulder to the left of the frame that is original to the site. As mentioned the house was built not just on a waterfall, but into a hillside. A very wet hillside. There were going to be constant problems of drainage and run-off down the hill. During the spring run-off water was channeled down this boulder in the hallway (the rest of the hall was used for storage and such) and then out the over the driveway, down the hill. FLW thought it easier to simply accommodate nature instead of attempting to thwart it. Despite this the house is remarkably dry, and doesn't smell wet or mildew-y at all.
Mrs. Kaufmann's bedroom. You can see the bed reflected in the mirrored closet door. The closets were custom built with wicker (looking at least) tray that helped ventilate the closet and keep moisture to a minimum. Every bedroom had a desk, a built-in closet, and an en-suite bathroom. The bathrooms were roped off, but we could look in them, but I didn't really take any bathroom photos. Again, across from the closet is the wall that leads to the terrace.
Taken from Mrs. Kaufmann's private terrace. You can see her view from bed as well as how alarmingly low the wall is. You should also keep in mind that you can hear the rush of the waterfall from every room in the house, from every window, every terrace, everywhere. It is the music you listened to all day.
Both this picture and the next two were taken from Mrs. Kaufmann's terrace looking at the second floor. The top picture looks primarily back into her bedroom. You can see that she had greenery (rather than blinds) for privacy-they cover the dressing room/bathroom window. You can also see that in reality the guest room and her room are next to each other, but from inside they feel (thank to FLW mind control) feel miles apart and completely private.
The guest room has its own terrace with a little table and chairs. It is also set at an angle that means the guests cannot see into Mrs. Kaufmann's bedroom.
It really feels like you walked a mile to go from guest bedroom, to her bedroom. When I went on the terrace and saw that they were right next to each other ... MIND CONTROL.
Here are some photos looking from Mrs. Kaufmann's terrace down toward the main floor.
This view looks through those weird doors in the living room clear down to the river.
Looking back over to the bridge you cross to reach the house. This group taking pictures was the next group in the house. Up until this point we had the house to ourselves. It was wonderful.
Oh hey, I did take a picture of a bathroom! This is Mrs. Kaufmann's dressing room and bathroom. FLW used cork (which only become popular years later) as the best bathroom material, a natural way to combat moisture problems.
Why yes, that is an original Picasso in Mrs. Kaufmann's bedroom.
Lalique glass on the bedside table.
...And a Tiffany lamp to top off the room.
Close up of the lamp, but I want you to also notice how the glass just blends into the stone. No metal flashing or rivets. Just perfectly cut and placed glass.
Even further down the long dark hallway is Mr. Kaufmann's study. There was a built-in desk that didn't allow the window to open. Unacceptable to FLW, but what was unacceptable to Mr. Kaufmann was giving up desk space for a stupid window. The compromise:
AWESOME! A perfectly measured cut-out for the window to swing open.
So these next couple of shots illustrate my favorite part of the whole house. There is a central column of windows that runs the height of the house. All told there are (I believe) seventeen of these windows. FLW believed in thinking outside the box. The box being a normally built little box of a building. These windows opened outward, the screens opened inward, and because they were set on a corner the whole column could be completely opened to the air. He called this little feature "exploding the box".
The pictures don't even do justice to how actually AMAZING this feature is. Seriously.
Here again is a picture that shows the whole central column. See in the second section the chair against the glass?
There is the corner of it.
And again, the blurring of the line between inside and outside. That next group has made it out onto the main terrace by this time.
We'll come back to talk about that steep forbidding staircase after we visit the the third floor. We accessed floor number three by going out on Mr. Kaufmann's private terrace.
Looking back at the main terrace from Mr. Kaufmann's second floor terrace.
I love looking at the house from the view on this terrace. This house is absolutely amazing from every. single. angle. LOVE!
We came out the red door on the bottom, and went in the red door on the top. Also, for the record - I really, really love the zig-zag look of this exterior staircase.
Up to the third floor:
