This is because Gehry designed the house by building physical models (the "Fish" and "Bang" models) and then photographed the models to create the construction drawings.
The original house sat quietly on the corner of 22nd Street and Washington Avenue. Gehry’s challenge was simple yet impossible: How do you double the size of a modest family home without destroying its soul—or going bankrupt? gehry residence floor plan
When aspiring architects and design enthusiasts type the phrase "Gehry Residence floor plan" into a search engine, they aren't looking for square footage or bedroom counts. They are searching for the origin story of Deconstructivism. They are looking for the moment a suburban bungalow in Santa Monica, California, exploded into a global icon. This is because Gehry designed the house by
Looking at the top-down, you see two parallel lines: the south wall (original exterior, now interior) and the north wall (new glass facade). The Walkway This is the primary circulation spine. It is narrow—barely 4 feet wide. One side is a glass balustrade looking down into the old living room. The other side is the original exterior siding of the house, now an interior wall. When aspiring architects and design enthusiasts type the
His solution became the foundation of the . He decided to leave the old house intact and wrap a new, chaotic shell around it. Consequently, the floor plan reads as a palimpsest—a set of erasures and overwritings where traditional living spaces coexist with raw, industrial disruptions. Level One: The Ground Floor – A Study of Collision The main entry level of the Gehry Residence floor plan is where the thesis of "inside/outside reversal" begins. Here, Gehry did not create a seamless flow; he created a violent yet beautiful dialogue. The Original Core (Dutch Colonial) Entering through the traditional front door (which Gehry kept intact), you find yourself in a conventional living room. This space is drywall, hardwood floors, and a fireplace. It feels like 1920s nostalgia. However, looking at the floor plan, you notice something odd: This room has been bisected.
Today, the house remains a private residence (currently owned by a trustee, occasionally open for architectural tours). But its influence is immortal. Every time you see a house with a corrugated metal wall, a glass bridge, or an exposed plywood edge, you are looking at a footnote to this floor plan.
If you are an architect looking to break the rules, stop looking at Palladio. Get a copy of the . Notice where the ship's ladder lands. Notice the 4-degree angle. Notice the lack of closets. And then ask yourself: Do I want to live in a house, or do I want to live in a revolution? Are you interested in more deconstructivist floor plans? Check out our deep dives into the Vanna Venturi House and the Wexner Center.
