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A journey through the United States in 1914 along a number of houses by Frank Lloyd Wright proved formative for the architecture of Van ‘t Hoff. The influence of Wright, particularly of his Prairie Houses, on Villa Henny in Huis ter Heide (1915-1919) is evident. Nevertheless, Van ‘t Hoff’s houses were more than merely skilfully executed imitations of Wright’s villas. The young Dutchman combined Wright’s formal language with the most modern, most progressive construction techniques. While Frank Lloyd Wright preferred natural and local materials, Van ‘t Hoff had his houses built entirely from white-plastered concrete.
With the early designs of Villa Henny, Van ‘t Hoff attracted the attention in 1916 of Theo van Doesburg, who was just then engaged with the founding of De Stijl. Van ‘t Hoff wrote several articles for the magazine of the same name, financially supported the organ and even named the houseboat he designed for himself on the Loosdrechtse Plassen ‘De Stijl’ (1918). Nevertheless, the collaboration was short-lived: in 1919 Van ‘t Hoff left the group after a political disagreement with Van Doesburg.
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