Famed Swiss Architect Le Corbusier made waves with the release of his Citrohan House in 1920. It wasn’t built until the 1927 Weissenhoff exhibition in Stuttgart. I had visited the atelier of Alfred Roth, who had worked for Le Corbusier, and was responsible for drawing the Citrohan House. Herr Roth shared some very interesting tidbits about the project. None of which, sadly, I can verify so I shall avoid spreading gossip here.
It’s genesis aside, there is much to like about the Citrohan house. I especially like the proposed furniture arrangements. Instead of placing the furniture in the center of each room the pieces gravitate to the windows. The dining room table is almost touching the glass allowing the family to enjoy the views as well as benefitting from any available natural light. The living room furniture creates a conversation area in the double height volume adjacent to the dining room and is also bathed in light by the large windows of the front façade.
Notice that the desk in this space is set up facing that same large glass wall. The desks in the other rooms are also arranged in such a way that they receive natural light and are afforded a view. This is a major pet peeve of mine since I hate staring at walls. Evidently I’m not alone in the desire for a workspace with a view.