Written by: Brad Mee | Photos by: Scot Zimmerman
Featured in our magazine 10 years ago, this spectacular International style glass house is still one of my all-time favorites.
We’ve featured a lot of homes in our magazine over the years, so when asked which is my favorite, I’m hard pressed to choose just one. I can say, however, that the International style glass house showcased in the fall of 2007 is definitely among my top picks. Given its pedigree, ultra-talented owner, memorable site and unique features, is it any wonder why?
The home belonged to a very talented Utah designer, the late Robert Brain. In 1952, Brain’s cousin, architect Jack Smith—along with architect John Sugden, who had been an assistant to Mies van der Rohe, designed and built the original 972-square-foot glass house. Today is spans 2,200 square-feet.
Built on a grid system, the linear structure boasts walls and interior courtyards featuring glass and sliding glass doors that fill the home’s interior with natural light.
Throughout the home, Brain artfully displayed his treasured art on the walls and collectibles on shelves and table tops. “I have a way of mixing styles that aren’t necessarily related but make sense to me,” he said. Rare art collections, original modern furniture and priceless antiques filled the interior with undeniable style that continues to inspire me.
“It (the house) is a machine that can be lowered into any landscape and be livable,” Brain said of the home. A 36-inch gravel border surrounds the structure, separating it from the lushly landscaped Salt Lake City site.
The late and talented designer Robert Brain, who revived the original 1952 home and made it his own.
To see more of this remarkable home and the man who made it his own, see Clear Vision.
