Charles Moore’s Watermelon Pyramid: Playing with Scale, Function, and Symbolism

This paper provides a historical analysis of the dynamics between scale, function, and symbolism at play in Charles Moore’s domestic interiors. Homes designed by the architect for himself during the 1960s are examined. These include his first home in Orinda, CA (1962), his New Haven house (1966), and his Centerbrook home (1969). Across these works there is a shift from the formal problem of a house within a house to the social problem of worlds within worlds. Moore’s interest in toys and adolescence along with critical theorizations of childhood frame the analysis of these design works within the larger question of play.

Volume Editors
Jasmine Benyamin, Kyle Reynolds, Mo Zell, Nikole Bouchard & Whitney Moon

ISBN
978-1-944214-28-9