Built by Walter Gropius in 1938, the Gropius House, in Lincoln, Massachusetts, was a laboratory for melding cutting-edge architecture and industrial materials in a functional family home.

The open living area features wall-to-wall bookshelves and low built-in cabinets that don't interrupt the view; the sheepskin-covered chair was designed by Marcel Breuer.

A concrete-clad fireplace is the focus of the living area.

The dining area, with a table and chairs by Breuer, is illuminated by one overhead spotlight and daylight streaming through a wall of glass overlooking the garden.

The bright kitchen is the very model of a modern, practical cooking space; the prefab laboratory cabinetry was ordered from a catalog.

The home office, which Gropius shared with his wife, Ise, is furnished with Bauhaus pieces they brought with them from Germany.

The spiral staircase was fabricated with innovative materials of the era, such as slender but sturdy chrome balusters and acoustical-cork treads; vertical clapboard for the walls was Gropius's spin on traditional Colonial siding.

In the master bedroom, the Iraqi carpet hanging above the bed reflects Ise's love for textiles; the table lamp is a 1924 Bauhaus design.

A glass wall separates the bedroom from the couple's dressing area.

Daughter Ati's room features a bed tucked into the wall, leaving plenty of space for work and play; her father designed the lighting using fiberglass for the shades.

In Ati's bedroom, a handcrafted wooden desk designed by Gropius is paired with a Breuer chair; vertical boards double as an architectural element and a device for displaying artwork.

A mirrored door creates an optical illusion in the white-and-black master bath.