Houzz TV: Travel Back in Time With The Most Unusual Round House
Under its zigzag roofline, nearly every vertical surface in this 1967 house curves to form a circle. The windows curve. The panelled hallways curve. The front doors (there are two) curve. “When you close a door, you see a continuous round wall,” says Julian Goldklang, who with his wife, Desiree, have turned the house – and to a degree themselves – into an ode to midcentury design. “Most people don’t get their dream home to be their first home,” Julian says. “I really feel lucky to live here.”
Keep Watching:
When he referred to it being the first wonderful house they've lived in, he gives the impression that it will be the last. Might they stay there forever? I can't imagine them wanting to ever leave it! Fun! I remember my parents furnishing a home with mostly Danish modern in the mid-sixties. It was really nice stuff that all went by the wayside eventually. The couple work together too. Their personalities are so even and pleasant, that works. Other people are a lot more volatile and would need a break from each other.
I love that spice rack!
This home is so nostalgic for me. In 1965 I ordered the exact model of sofa from the Flair Furniture Company, in a deep royal blue burlap-looking fabric. That sofa was so comfortable, and used until 2000. Also, in 1967, I bought the larger version of the Dansk spice rack at the Carl Hanson store in Copenhagen. Thank you for sharing your wonderful home with us. Kudos to you for preserving it!
Very cool home, the roof/ceiling is the star.
I would hesitate to install knotty pine kitchen cabinets, maybe douglas fir, black walnut or teak.
This place is absolutely stunning. I applaud the couple for coming in and working with the existing details instead of ripping out without a care to the original designs. Beautiful.
Love this round home and the couple who live here are super-cool, too! I purchased some furniture from them a few months ago. They are generous, incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. Since they have too much class to promote their store themselves, I would be honored to do it for them! Check out http://www.midcenturymobler.com
I have several friends who live in round yurts (canvas) but I've never seen a round house! So cool! Love how they furnished and decorated to honor the design.
Pamela Fisk we just might stay here forever ;) It's truly a wonderful and one of a kind house. I can't see us moving anytime soon!
juliebl11 thank you so much!
crush330 very cool! Original Pearsall sofas are getting tough to find these days. Do you still have the spice rack?
Bette P love these kitchens. Especially the last one in teal ;)
northseeker, Brooke thank you so much! It kills us to even think about modifying any original features of the home. We're kind of sticklers for originality.
The house is lucky to have been found by this wonderful couple. If they ever have to leave I hope they can find someone who will carry on preserving it.
Thank you for showing a round house! A lot of small house plans are round, but had a hard time really picturing it. They've done a tremendous job on the mid-century decor. A special place for sure.
Mid Century Mobler, what a pleasant surprise to find out you inhabit the home of my former interior design professor! You might find that all the light switches are lower than standard, at around 36"h. She implemented that after her home inspection :) Happy to see the round house in another set of good hands.
FAB
I really enjoyed this report. . . it reminded me of my growing up years in the NYC sixties!
In New York we had Jackie Gleason build "Round Rock Hill", his 1960's home in Peekskill, just north of NYC.
After all these decades I am still enamored with "The Great One's" house; so, having seen this video brought back many fond memories. . . "How Sweet It Is!"
There is a home that looks exactly like this that was built in the late 60's in a development outside of Pittsburgh in a community called Chapel Woods. It sits up on a hill and is visible from several angles. Always wondered what it looked like inside
Beyond fantastic!!!!! Love, love, love.
You guys did an EXCELLENT job in your interview and I would have LOVED to have heard how you found the house and if you had any: to see an original picture of the home from the old days! You keep a clean tidy house, makes me want to roll up my sleeves and start cleaning out my own house! LOL
I think we baby boomers are hungry for the old days when life was more wholesome and your hand shake meant your word. It's not like that any more and we miss that easy (but hard since things were so lean) life from that time era. I LOVED your stereo. We had one and it had the best sound in the world. Thank you for being so awesome! Beautiful couple too (and you could tell your doggie adored you!) Love!
Best Houzz feature ever! The young couple is adorably perfect too!
Thank you ! and I love your Boston Terrier!
Regardless of your taste, you have to admire the unique features of this home. As a custom home builder, I am in awe of the interior construction with curvatures of in the interior doors, walls.etc.
I am speechless! This is incredible...Thank you for sharing!
Fabulous!
Like a LOT. I recently staged a mid-century home for sale in 4Hills and I really enjoyed it.
So many things to love! I believe when you find a good solid house, you should not alter it to death to match current trends. Celebrate the original intent. LOVE that they didn't gut the kitchen and put in everything new. The built ins are to DIE FOR. Thank you for sharing with us!!
Lynn K. Leonidas that's incredible! We still receive junk mail from the previous owners, so I assume your professor was probably the 2nd owner? Indeed, many of the light switches and the tub in the master bath are very low. What was the reason behind that? Very curious!
gibbedittome thank you so much!
brbhouzz wow! I love that home! Do you know if it's still around?
Thanks for showing this. So happy to see my dad's furniture design (Adrian Pearsall) in such a special home. Enjoy-
Jed Pearsall, Newport RI
webuser_725133 we are honored to hear from you! We are such huge fans of your dad's work! We'd love to chat with you more when you have a chance: info@midcenturymobler.com. Thanks!
brbhouzz amazing! do you have any photos of the home from growing up?
Thanks for giving us a sneak peak into your home! I would love to learn more about how you source your furniture - I went to Denmark for the first time this year and fell in love and can't wait to go back and bring home some goods!
Love it! So happy to see a young couple adore and respect this design. Thank you for living there and keeping the dream alive. I have heard of horror stories where these types of home were torn down. In the 80s and 90s it was a dangerous time for mid century modern homes. So many were destroyed to put up ugly mega homes. Thank you for allowing us to see it. P.S. Love your logo - so Brasilia! I'm a Kent Coffee person my self.
Love this house and they way it has been kept. Certainly could have been used in a Craft Associates brochure.
Jim Pearsall
New Hope, PA
Loved the interview, and the round house. We have a Buckminster Fuller round house on display at the Henry Ford Museum, it's from the 40s. This reminds me a lot of that - less the fabulous roof! https://www.thehenryford.org/museum/dymaxion.aspx
What a marvelous home. Good design shows, no matter what your personal taste. I also love the video format, hoping to see it used more often.
Hideous. Not in any way my style.
I totally agree with others that this couple is the best! Love it that they are also grateful - and classy. I would not like to live in a round house, but love the 60's MCM and really admire that they have preserved this cool house, paid attention to detail and shared it with others in a delightful way. I'm remodeling a 1964 MCM triplex in the same spirit and am so pleased that people find the completed 1st apartment so delightful! I am of the philosophy that people's homes should be happy, just like Julian and Desiree.
I believe I was in this home many years ago when it was for sale. So wonderful to see it is in original condition and so lovingly cared for!
What a wonderful house. It made me wish (again) that I could tour a beautiful, local round home that was built in my hometown in the 60s. It created quite a stir at the time--probably still would if it were built here today. It still fascinates me, now that I'm grown up, and it looks wonderful from the outside. I hope its current owners have loved it and remained true to its style on the interior, too.
I just don't think that couple could be any more adorable or cooler or amazing than they already are. Thank you for featuring this crazy cool house and the respectful owners. I kept blowing up the pictures thinking where's this spice rack??? Where's this car commenters are talking about??? Finally I saw the video at the end of the article. Kind of brought things full circle there. I agree with another commenter, the video is a really nice element and should be used more in other features.
Thank you for respecting and preserving a very unique period in home furnishing - unfortunately it didn't last long in America. Love everything that you did with the furnishings and color. I had some of these furnishings in a previous home - like the clocks, lamps and dining table/chairs. I wish more homeowners would restore rather than try to fit a house of one era into another without professional help. I will visit you website next!
Oh, I forgot! The T-Bird - what a GEM! in a most traditional color too.
Love this house and especially your delight and respect for it, which shows everywhere. You have avoided the kitsch trap and truly made it a model of mid-century design. Just one caution (which you probably know already): as the restorers of both units of a 1934 Spanish Moderne duplex in a historic district in LA, my husband and I can tell you that dealing with the kitchen is by far the most difficult. Are you willing to cook on a vintage stove? (not so difficult if you have gas--a burner is a burner as long as you don't have to light it with a match). But how about a fridge? Not willing to live with a monitor top, we hid a Subzero behind paneled doors. No dishwasher? We hid a dish drawer behind a panel too--only dishwasher shallow enough to fit under a counter. We buried modern oven and microwave in the utility area by removing the water heater and replacing it with an on-demand unit in the basement. Linoleum--the real stuff-- found at Linoleum City in LA (free plug!). Genius contractor (sadly now deceased) made it all happen, including building and restoring cabinets. Best of luck to you in that project. I hope to see the result on Houzz someday.
This is my mid-century dream house! Great job making a beautiful house even more beautiful with your furnishings!... tho, I think you may have more room for art, perhaps from my mid century inspired Fallen Walnut shop on Etsy fallenwalnut.etsy.com ;-)
Fun! Hopefully they have many more years of fun there. Sweet story.
cool - 60's comment
In the 60's my girlfriend in Novato, CA lived in a round house her father built..It revolved around as the sun moved so you could keep living room in sun, and bedrooms peaceful in shade. House is still there, but don't know who lives in it. I was amazing at the time and this house is more amazing as the owners have really fit the past into the present and found perfect furniture for their round house.
Thanks for video,,
I love this house. Would be a dream come true if I could live in that house. Definitely an eye-opener piece. Thanks for the sharing. Wish I had a chance to visit on site.
Thanks for a wonderful tour of your home. Danish modern is cool, calm and warm.
Your video was a pleasure to watch. It was heart warming to see both of you enjoying your special place.
Touching my teak furniture gives a glow to my soul. Will checkout your website when adding more furniture to my home.
Mid Century Mobler, the name of my former professor is Vera. We sometimes see each other so next time I'll let her know about this article. She told me she lowered the light switches so they would be at a more natural level. You turn the doorknob, you switch on the light next, all without having to reach up. She was my favorite teacher and had a fun way of making it all about details :) I love your furniture store as well. I'm sourcing for clients so I will stop by before the holiday! -Lynn
This house does not do a thing for me. It makes me laugh that so many people say old and they mean the 1960's to 70's and after. When I say old I mean pre WWII.
yurts are better
We have a round home, very similar to this, in the Sandy Hook neighborhood of Siesta Key, Florida! It was for sale when I was house hunting, 1995- and I was in love with it. Also kept in immaculate and original condition, it must have been built in the same time frame, in a beach neighborhood with unique architectural offerings. I had 3 kids, and no way could we fit in there- but it had my heart strings. A total tropical retreat on a barrier island- My, how I long to see it again!
Fantastic home. The only letdown for me is the kitchen, that somehow doesn't follow or integrate the curved theme. Thank you houzz for showing these original designs!
As soon as I saw this round house it reminded me of a great round house exhibit at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Here's a link to the museum website. You can take a virtual tour of the house. Thought you all might enjoy this gem. If you get a chance to come to the museum - you should. It's packed full of great exhibits. Here is the museum link and below I put a brief description of the Dymaxion House.
http://www.thehenryford.org/museum/map.aspx
Dymaxion House
The visionary architecture of R. Buckminster Fuller. Take a personal tour through "the house of the future." This extraordinary dwelling was designed to be the strongest, lightest and most cost-effective housing ever built. Restored to its original 1946 condition, it's the only remaining prototype in the world.
cute house and couple.
So well done and inspiring!
Hi Julian, Desiree, and Teddy too! I'm so glad to finally see the inside of your new home. I LOVE it! It's so appropriate and perfect that you would end up living in such a masterpiece of architecture. Hope to see you guys soon.
Oh, and I just noticed your new/old T-Bird in the car port. Cool!
Thanks Marcus G! We need to have you guys over for cocktails soon :)
Jim Pearsall that's a huge honor to hear that! As you can see, your dad is one of our favorite designers, and his work truly deserves to be seen as much as possible. We'd love to chat with you more about his designs! Email us when you have a chance: info@midcenturymobler.com
diniroxx thank you so much!
slidingdownbanisters you are too kind! Dels Design thank you! The T-Bird is just about as original as the house. It was parked by the original owner in 1965 and left there until the early 2000s! Only 46,000 original miles :)
victoran no way! I grew up in Marin and have driven past that home numerous times. It's still there, and was actually for rent about 6 months ago!
Lynn K. Leonidas Yes! Vera! I think she was the 2nd owner of the house. Really interesting to hear about her design philosophy. The house is ergonomic in such a way you don't really notice things that would normally stand out, so her upgrades were very well integrated and work seamlessly with everyday living. I'd love to get in touch with her, so feel free to pass along our info the next time you see her, and please stop by the shop when you have a chance! Looking forward to meeting you!
This house is a hoot!
Love, love, love the furnishing and house. I am a (wanna-be) cowgirl so I live in a Santa Fe in the southwest. But when I grow up, I may go for the mid-century modern look for a down-size.
AND, remember Houzzers... if you cannot say something nice, say nothing at all.
Best of luck to you both!
I LOVE...and want this house. What a charming couple.
A company called "Big Chill" makes reproduction mid-century appliances that come in several suitable colours, including "jadite" green, pink, yellow and red. These turquoise ones are my favorite! Kitchenaid makes small appliances to match their colours. I would love to live in a round house! I doubt that roof would stand up to a Canadian winter though.
I bought a credenza from Julian, love it! Had it shipped to Colorado and it arrived in perfect condition!
Your house is super cute!
Amazing house!
Thanks maxmorrsin! The Parrot Chair was designed by Ib Arberg in 1970 ;)
What a great house! Lovely couple too, thanks for showing us your home. :)
I love the colour pops in the house
The round houses blog (http://roundhouses.wordpress.com) has an update on the Harkleroad house in Novato, as well as info on other round houses designed by Leon Meyer.
Brent Butler My husband & I just bought that home on the McKenzie River on Deerhorn. We love it so much! We would love to know more history and see more older photos.
My parents built a similar Leon Meyer house in 1971, where we grew up and where my Moms still lives...but it's 4 bedrooms, 2 bath so much larger. We chased each other around in circles in that thing, and still puzzle over how to furnish, light, and install floors in such a space! My Dad built it himself as a labor of love, among the redwoods and oaks above Mountain View cemetery with a view of Mt Tamalpais though the ceiling-to-floor windows in the living room.
Hey Jennifer, thanks so much for sharing these photos! So cool to see this home in mid construction, and especially being family photos makes them extra special. Is your mom's name Aida? I think her an I had a brief conversation on Nextdoor about our homes :)
Yup MC, that's her!
Such a stunningly beautiful home!!! Really admire Julian and Desiree for preserving this wonderful place and for making it look even more beautiful with their amazing personal collection. I love all the wall-clocks. Also, just love the idea of two front doors. Don't know why but it looked great to me!
I loved that spice rack too! First come, first serve, LOL! Rare Digsmed Midcentury 12 jar spice rack with cork note board | Etsy
Amazing home and fabulous decor thanks to two talented young people. I was happy to see that it is in Oakland CA. Oakland has the most interesting collection of different style homes.