Arts & Architecture?s Case Study House program was supposed to be about creating replicable, affordable designs for post-war living?stylish but modest homes for young families on a budget. And then came house #17(2).

Courtesy of Archilogic

Arts & Architecture?s Case Study House program was supposed to be about creating replicable, affordable designs for post-war living?stylish but modest homes for young families on a budget. And then came house #17(2).To be fair, this house was designed for real clients, with specific and ambitious requirements. The Hoffmans had four children, a household staff, and an art collection. So this was never going to be just another suburban three-bedroom.It was, rather, a lavish five-bedroom residence complete with study, living room, dining room, and recreation room?not to mention the swimming pool, tennis court, children?s playground, maid?s quarters and workshop, and all fitted with top-of-the-line finishes and appliances. Although the rooms were modestly sized and the style as pared-down as any other mid-century minimalist design, this was a project on an entirely different scale.Craig Ellwood?a man known for his own flashy lifestyle, who wrote in 1976 that the purpose of architecture was ?to enrich the joy and drama of living??must have relished the opportunity. Even the magazine?s editors got more than a little carried away, devoting a full 16 pages to this ?good house and handsome object,? and gushing at length a...