Beverly Hills midcentury modern is a study in light and geometry
Could it be that when singer-actress Lauryn Hill covered the classic “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” she was actually paying tribute to the sweeping coastal and city views from the home she owned in Beverly Hills’ Trousdale Estates?
The midcentury modern boasts a fully retractable wall of glass and a broad vista that stretches from the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Marina del Rey, taking in Century City and much of West Los Angeles. Catalina Island joins the tableau on a clear day.
Adding to the property’s celebrity pedigree, radio personality Tom Joyner was among the owners since Hill, according to property records. The 4,000-square-foot home has been updated with modern appliances and high-end materials, but the original 1959 post-and-steel-beamed structure is intact.
Up a short rise from the street and beyond a frosted-glass gate, the house takes shape as a combination of bold geometric forms sheathed in concrete and stucco. The gently pitched roof is topped at the entry by a raised roof with glass sides that bring natural light into several rooms. More light comes via recessed vertical windows that collectively form a large rectangle in the center of a rounded section of the facade. The one-story home is surrounded by mostly native landscaping and sits low on a flat portion of the lot to avoid obscuring the hillside behind.
Through a tall glass front door, a skylighted entryway flows directly into the open-plan dining and living rooms. The southern wall of the living room consists of floor-to-ceiling glass panels that retract along parallel tracks.
A free-standing fireplace of concrete and glass separates the living and dining rooms from the breakfast area and kitchen. The open kitchen has recessed lighting, beige Silestone counters, a wine cabinet with a frosted-glass door and a glass-topped eating counter. It is outfitted with such high-end appliances as a Sub-Zero refrigerator, a six-burner Wolf range and a Miele double oven. And forget running down the hill to Starbucks -- there’s a built-in espresso maker.
To the left of the front door, a rounded den/media room features a state-of-the-art sound system, frosted-glass sliding doors, a remote-controlled curtain, hanging track lights and a long sectional couch that conforms to the curve of the wall.
The master bedroom straddles the home’s center line and is the only room in the house in which the ceiling pitches in both directions. It has sliding glass doors to the backyard, a recessed fireplace, a wall niche big enough for a large television and a walk-in closet.
An oversize Lagos Blue CaesarStone tub and counters to match highlight the master bathroom, which also has a large glass shower with opposing shower heads and a bank of windows looking out on the lush hillside.
In addition to a keyhole-shaped pool and spa, the backyard has a small lawn, limestone patios and a landscaped garden that drops off steeply to the property below.
To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send high-resolution color photos with caption and credit information on a CD and a detailed description to Lauren Beale, Business, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Questions may be sent to homeoftheweek @latimes.com.
