Grieco House

Marcel Breuer – The Vito Grieco House, Sunset Rock Road, Andover MA, 1955

The house has a strong and clear profile like many houses designed by Marcel Breuer. You arrive in the middle of the house in a very transparent room that connects and coordinates the whole house as if it were a covered patio.

On the left, in the northern sector of the plant, the "sleeping area" includes the main bedroom and a single bedroom and a bathroom. This sector is all on one floor and enjoys overlooking the garden.
On the right side and on the south side of the floor plan, the house has a splendid view of the neighborhood. On this side of the house are the kitchen, the dining room, the living room and a small bedroom. This magnificent viewpoint to the south is protected from the sun by a pergola that also frames the view towards infinity.
The lower part of the living room has a garage, a bedroom and a plant room which is accessed from the garage, in the corridor there is the staircase connecting the floors.

The subtlety with which Breuer chooses the materials is perfect. To the north a solid and compact volume, to the south more transparent. However, Breuer subtly plays with openings to create other atmospheres.
The structure also differs in these two parts. The northern part tries to form a solid block wall with a strong architectural weight. The southern part tries to give an ethereal image of a volume that flies above the ground, using a thin pillar that gives the load to the foundation.