Gehry Residence Floor Plan //top\\ Access

The foundational logic of the Gehry Residence floor plan relies on the concept of symbiosis and collision. Gehry did not demolish the original 1920s suburban house. Instead, he left it largely intact and built a new, asymmetrical structure around three sides of it.

Frank Gehry’s personal home in Santa Monica is more than just a house; it is a manifesto in three dimensions. While the "Gehry Residence floor plan" is often sought by architecture students and design enthusiasts, the reality of the home is far more complex than a standard blueprint. It is a house built around a house.

The living areas on the ground floor are designed with an open plan in mind, though segmented by various architectural elements. This includes the kitchen, dining, and living spaces, which are fluid and interconnected.

Upstairs, the floor plan reveals a glass-enclosed master bedroom that protrudes out over the driveway. It acts as a transparent observatory. On paper, it looks vulnerable (glass walls on three sides), but in function, it offers a panoramic frame of the mundane suburban street—turning neighbors’ lawns into art.

Unlike a normal floor plan that draws a single, clean outer wall, Gehry’s plan shows fragmented boundaries. He removed the rear wall of the existing living room and extended the house outward using unconventional materials (plywood, corrugated metal, chain-link fencing). The floor plan looks like a house that exploded and was hastily put back together. gehry residence floor plan

The skylights are not integrated into a unified roofline. Instead, they operate as individual, scattered entities.

The resulting floor plan is a fascinating exercise in layers. The original Dutch Colonial house remains largely intact at the center, acting as a traditional core, while a new, jagged skin of corrugated metal, chain-link fencing, and glass extends outward to create new living spaces. Breaking Down the Floor Plan The Ground Floor: The Collision of Materials

Traditional floor plans hide structural elements behind drywall. Gehry’s layout celebrates the rough carpentry, making load-bearing studs and subfloors a visible part of the daily living experience.

These are located in the new addition along the northwest frontage. Notably, the kitchen was built directly on the former asphalt driveway, which serves as its flooring. The foundational logic of the Gehry Residence floor

Upon entering the home, visitors do not step into a traditional foyer. Instead, they enter a fluid, wrapping perimeter that houses the kitchen and dining areas.

It was safe. It was boring. And for Frank Gehry and his wife Berta, it was the perfect cage to break open.

The in Santa Monica is less of a traditional floor plan and more of an architectural "collision" that redefined domestic space in the late 1970s. By wrapping an existing 1920s Dutch Colonial home in a "slipcover" of industrial materials like corrugated metal, chain-link fencing, and raw plywood, Frank Gehry created a layout that feels like a house within a house. A Review of the Floor Plan: Architecture as a "Live Sketch"

Gehry's design process for the Gehry Residence was marked by intense experimentation and innovation. He employed a range of techniques, including the use of corrugated metal, chain link fencing, and plywood, to create a dynamic, sculptural form. The architect's intention was to blur the lines between architecture and art, resulting in a building that would challenge conventional notions of residential design. Frank Gehry’s personal home in Santa Monica is

The layout defies standard ideas of a "room" by connecting all areas into one continuous experience. Gehry House - Archiweb

To understand the floor plan of the Gehry Residence, one must understand its core concept: a house wrapped inside another house.

Locate where Frank Gehry explains his design choices.

The Architecture of Deconstructivism: Deconstructing the Gehry Residence Floor Plan