Schaaf Residence

The Samuel & Phyllis Schaaf house was the last house built on the Common. The simple redwood exterior and low building profile give no clue to the surprising open plan within. Upon entering the house, one encounters a joyful panoply of planes, heights, shapes, and color. Mrs. Schaaf insisted that the house should have no hallways—and there are none. The entry foyer leads into a large living room with a fireplace set against a solid, wood-sheathed wall to the west and a fully glazed south wall giving onto a deck that overlooks the garden. Both the brick fireplace wall and the concrete hearth extend through the exterior glass wall into the garden—an intriguing detail that joins inside and out. The sweeping pitched roof and exposed rafters, reflect the architect’s interest in Japanese design. The twelve-to-fourteen-foot ceiling embraces both the living room and raised dining room of the split-level interior. The master bedroom is on the kitchen level and two others are on the lower floor.

The garden design for both the front and the rear were initiated at the same time as the house construction.