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richard neutra

Modernist Masterworks of Los Angeles, 1900 - 1970

Filed under: Estates, Books

modernist masterworks book
If you coveted the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis House in Los Angeles we wrote about last year, but didn't quite have the $15 million asking price, you should pick up a copy of Architecture of the Sun. The weighty tome, being published later this month by Rizzoli for $95, focuses on Los Angeles' many fine modernist masterworks built from 1900–1970. A modern city shaped by the complexities of its geography – ocean, desert, and mountains – "as connected with the industries which formed its cultural references and livelihood", Los Angeles has produced some of the greatest architectural accomplishments of the twentieth century. In addition to Lloyd Wright the architects featured include Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Rudolph Schindler, whose brilliant designs came to define an era. The eminent author, Thomas S. Hines, is Professor Emeritus of History and Architecture at UCLA, where he teaches cultural, urban, and architectural history.

Kaufmann House, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


Earlier this year, the Kaufmann House, in Palm Springs, California, a classic Richard Neutra home was part of Christie's Spring Contemporary Art Auction. It sold for $16.8 million including commission along with an additional plot of land adjacent to the property for $2.1 million. The Real Estalker reveals that the architectural classic is back on the market because the current owners are divorcing. The home is now listed at $12.9 million and is having a hard time finding buyers, not because of the house, which is exquisite, but because Palm Springs real estate is some of the hardest hit in California's real estate doldrums.


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Roscomare Road, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


It seems that in Southern California saying a home was inspired by Richard Neutra is becoming the equivalent of saying a home is Frank Lloyd Wright influenced in other parts of the country. The LA Times Hot Property column brought my attention to this Bel-Air homed which was once owned by Irene Kassorla,"the psychologist and author once described by Merv Griffin as the 'shrink to the stars'" and is currently owned by another student of the mind, Dr. William Bondareff, a professor of psychiatry at USC's Keck School of Medicine. Bondareff and his wife Rita are headed up the coast to Carmel so this Neutra-inspired three-bedroom home is on the market. The home has beautiful outdoor space including a custom pool with a "wall of stone and water" which helps create a tranquil garden setting. The home's rich wood interior includes a study/library. I like that it has maintained its 1960s-1970s sensibilities and it seems a lot cozier than most Neutras I've seen. It is listed at $2.195 million.

Neutra House Numbers

Filed under: Decor

True taste and design is all in the details. It's the small things that come together to create the big picture, and these Richard Neutra inspired house numbers could be the final touch you've been looking for to make your home's curb-appeal complete. Based on the letters Neutra specified for his buildings back in the 1930's to 1950's, the numbers weigh 1/2 pound each and are designed to "float" slightly off the surface and cast subtle shadows. Made of stainless steel they're resistant to corrosion, tarnishing and discoloration, and are always easily visible. Usually $75 each, but currently on sale for $67.50.

Singleton Residence, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


A few weeks ago I mentioned the coverage the Real Estalker and Radar paid to this home, a Richard Neutra-designed estate in Bel Air currently owned by hair icon Vidal Sassoon. Sassoon bought the house in 2004 and gave the home a renovation that a house with this type of architectural provenance deserves.

This type of home with its spare and blocky lines may not be to all tastes. You've got to love the Modernist style to embrace Neutra. This home is one of just two Neutra homes in Bel Air (my neighborhood, Silver Lake is home to many more). This home was built in 1959 and has over five acres in Bel Air. Additions include a new master bedroom wing, an expanded kitchen and a gallery that blends the approach to the earlier Neutra addition into the overall floorplan. The home has four bedrooms, a screening room and there are two extra building pads on the site. Radar put the house at $19. million but the Sotheby's listing has it at $25 million. Amazing considering that Sassoon is said to have purchased for $6 million. After the jump, perfect minimalism and a bed with a tail.

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