The Corwin House

There are exactly two Richard Neutra modernist homes in Connecticut. The Corwin House is a gloriously undisturbed example of his style, with just one careful owner for its lifetime. Having commissioned the house in 1955, the Corwins had the home of their dreams and changed barely a thing. “They just loved it the way it was,” says architect Aziz Osko, current owner. “The family wanted to entertain. Betty Corwin was very clear: she wanted a big open space. They were both from New York City, they built it to start a family, but she also worked in theatre — on Broadway. In general, these houses in the Mid-Century were the choice of Bohemian people who wanted to break all the rules when they were building. They had a lot of celebrities come and party at the river…. I feel it’s kind of like a hippie party house.” The Corwins raised a family and lived out the rest of their accomplished lives watching the Saugatuck River drift past Neutra’s trademark floor to ceiling windows. Upon Betty Corwin’s passing, the house was acquired by architect Aziz Osko and his partner Laurent. While aware of Neutra, it was the architecture, rather than the architect, that attracted them. “When you walk in, there’s something about it that feels authentic to that time it was built. I kind of just fell in love with his work before I even knew much about it. It changed the way I see space, architecture….” The stunning setting, another Neutra touch, was what drew the couple North. “We are in Weston, Connecticut, so it’s just about an hour’s drive from New York City.” Surrounded by rolling hills and stunning greenery, the area is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the city. “The nature’s really empowering. I think that’s why we came, to be inspired by the nature.” However, even though it had been loved, 65 years had taken its toll on the structure and adventurous choice of materials. Before the idyll could be enjoyed, it needed over two years of renovations. “The house was in bad shape. We did not know how bad it was. We opened the wall, everything was moldy, black mold everywhere, termites…. So we took everything out, restored the building, and put everything back in. Even the knobs.” “Everything was there: kitchen, bathroom, fixtures, door handles, everything was original. We’re not purists per sé. We’re not the people who feel like something old should always look the same, we’re not against evolving. But, I think with this design, every thought, everything, was intentionally material. So I feel, not the pressure, but I feel the responsibility to try to keep everything there.” One such original element was the St. Charles steel kitchen cabinetry. At the cutting edge in the 50s, with underlighting no less, it was suffering at the hands of its usual nemesis, rust. As if the Neutra and Broadway connections weren’t enough, the kitchen had also been sprinkled with a little stardust. Paul Rand, graphic designer extraordinaire of the 80’s, creator of famous logos such as IBM, UPS and ABC, was a neighbour and suggested adding bright colour to the kitchen cabinets and black and grey to the exterior. “Laurent, my partner, and I thought — and this always was the discussion when you restore — do you go original or do you preserve the history of the house? And for us, it was the history of the house that was important. So keeping Paul Rand’s part of the kitchen is very important to us.” “Take all the paint off the front — brush it — so you’re looking at just the metal with all its imperfection. We embrace those. And then we kept the original colour inside the cabinet. When you open the cabinet, you get Paul Rand, but from the outside, it has a little bit more of a contemporary look.” I like the idea of the contrast between vintage and new. And I like the idea of this vintage kitchen at its time was pushing the limit of what technology was: what can we do in the kitchen? And now Gaggenau, for me, is doing the same today: how can we take what we use every day and make it the most beautiful design, very high-tech, very intuitive?” There was never any doubt as to what would be the centrepiece of the timeless, brushed steel kitchen. Already Gaggenau devotees, Aziz and Laurent opted for the 90 cm wide EB333 oven, the full surface induction cooktop, 400 series fridge-freezer and dishwasher. “I have a couple of favorites, the induction cooktop is my favorite because you can move the pot around and it follows you. The way it’s set up is just so intuitive. It’s one of the things that I like to show people and they are always impressed.” The second one is the fridge with stainless steel inside. I really appreciate that there’s no plastic. We love it so much, we actually have little objects inside the fridge, Japanese little toys called Sonny Angels. Laurent thought it was funny to put one inside the fridge one time. Now people buy us little things, and they live in the fridge; it’s kind of cute.” One of the sacrifices Aziz was forced to make due to his sense of responsibility to the home, was ventilation. “The only thing I would love to have was the downdrafts. But I didn’t want to lose the original hood, so we kept the original and restored it a little bit. I do have the downdraft in New York City, so I use it there.” “We got the dishwasher. We were very clear that if we were going that route, we want all Gaggenau, which we did.” “I feel lucky that I was able to restore it and now live in it.” Reflecting upon the arduous act of restoration, Aziz believes it has strengthened his bond with his home. “It was my life for two and a half years. I put everything I have, every minute of my two and a half years into the house. I touched every corner of it. I know it inside and out. I can tell you exactly what’s behind the wall, just by looking at it. It’s important to me, this house.”