Louis Penfield, a painter and acquaintance of Wright, commissioned the architect to design a house that would accommodate his 6-foot-8-inch (2.03 m) frame. This house, then, built in
1955, is unique in its high doorways, as Wright preferred low entryways.
Notably long and thin in comparison to an average home, the house has a "floating
staircase" supported by ceiling beams, a bottleneck entryway, and several walls made almost entirely of windows, one of which gives a panoramic view of the outside. The house's basic color scheme centers on red-stained wood and ochre walls.
Some years after Louis died, the family moved out, and maintained it as a rental property for five years. The Penfield house was restored over a period of four years by Paul Penfield, son of Louis, at a cost of some $100,000
USD. Since 2003, the Louis Penfield House has been one of a few Wright-designed homes where guests can spend the night.[2]