The house was originally designed for an ideas competition set by the German design magazine Zeitschrift für Innendekoration for a "Haus eines Kunstfreundes" (Art Lover's House). Despite disqualification due to late entry, the portfolio was awarded a prize for "pronounced personal quality, novel and austere form and the uniform configuration of interior and exterior".

Coordinates: 55°50′51″N 4°18′50″W / 55.84739°N 4.31394°W / 55.84739; -4.31394