Seven incredible modernist homes in LA you can visit

Modernism is a timeless theme in the sun-drenched city of Los Angeles, where architectural innovation and experimentation flourished from the 1920s onwards, and building your dream home – or dream life – is always on the agenda. Tour the classics, check into a converted retro hotel, savour a burger in a 1950s diner, or join an architectural tour of modernist icons.

Hollyhock House, Los Feliz

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House.Credit: iStock

In many ways, Los Angeles’ modernist era begins with Hollyhock House, celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s first LA commission. It was built in 1918-21 for eccentric bohemian oil heiress Aline Barnsdall who wanted “a theatrical house”. The blocky, Aztec-inspired exterior gives way to a wonderfully rich interior with a monumental bas-relief fireplace, custom-designed oak sofas and tables, leadlight windows and meticulous attention to detail. The blurring of traditional boundaries between indoors and out, the rooftop terraces and sunken living room are all harbingers of California modernism. Stylised designs of hollyhocks, Barnsdall’s favourite flower, are incorporated throughout. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, the house is open for self-guided tours. See barnsdall.org/hollyhock-house

Schindler House, West Hollywood

Schindler House – designed for life in California.

Austrian-born architect R.M.Schindler designed this house in 1921 as “a co-operative dwelling for two young couples” including features that he felt “seemed to be necessary for life in California”. With its almost Brutalist concrete walls, redwood timber and sliding, canvas-panel doors, the low-slung house draws on a Japanese aesthetic (influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright), European modernist theories and the California climate. Traditional house plans are abandoned. There are four studios, upstairs “sleeping baskets” ( indoor/outdoor sleeping porches on the roof), and a communal patio with outdoor fireplace. The garden plan, integral to the design, includes sunken ivy beds and bamboo stands. It has been called an “inspired prototype for West Coast modern design”. It was radical then and, a century later, still feels radical. Self-guided tours. See makcenter.org/schindler-house

Neutra VDL Studio and Residences, Silver Lake

Richard Neutra’s VDL Studio and Residence.

Viennese-trained architect Richard Neutra, a seminal figure in the US Modernist movement, built a studio and house for his family in Silver Lake in the 1930s. Although restricted by budget and space, Neutra followed modernist principles, incorporating sliding glass walls, patios, built-in furniture, abundant natural lighting and planting. The design deftly used the limited space, building vertically to capture views over the reservoir and San Gabriel Mountains. Fire destroyed the house in 1963, but the family rebuilt. The 1960s structure (by Neutra and his architect son, Dion) followed the original design, while also experimenting with more modern materials, adding indoor-outdoor features, projecting balconies and even a “penthouse” with reflective rooftop pools. This version is a mid-century modern classic. Tours are available. See neutra-vdl.org/

Eames House, Pacific Palisades

Eames House, framed by the trees.Credit: Joshua White

Legendary designers Ray and Charles Eames, whose mid-century chair designs have influenced generations of designers, built their home on a bluff on the Los Angeles coast in 1949. The inspired simplicity of the design used off-the-shelf materials and offered a completely fresh perspective on domestic architecture. The two-storey pavilion-like structure and adjacent studio are skeletons of steel with walls of industrial-style windows and infill panels in Mondrian colours. Dappled light filters through gum trees into the lofty, open living space, blurring indoors and out. Ray and Charles lived and worked here and, far from minimalist, they gradually filled the house with their own designs, and an eclectic collection of Japanese paper lanterns, Indian tapestries, seashells, folk art, books and more. The Eames Foundation’s painstaking conservation is to share the couple’s remarkable vision and pragmatism for future generations. Guided tours are available. See eamesfoundation.org

Stahl House, West Hollywood

Stahl House’s pool with a view.

Teetering on a rocky outcrop in the Hollywood Hills, Stahl House is a 20th century icon – a 1960 modernist masterpiece with spectacular views and a fascinating backstory (this is Hollywood, after all). The L-shaped design cantilevers over a perilous cliff. Owner Buck Stahl spent two years labouring on site to create a base for the house. Architect Pierre Koenig’s design used an industrial steel frame and vast panels of glass to bring Stahl’s vision to life. With its minimalist look, underfloor heating, central kitchen and stylish, solar-heated pool, it was modern in so many ways. Julius Schulman’s era-defining 1960 photos of the house have ensured its place in the Modernist canon. It is still owned by the Stahl family, who offer regular tours. See stahlhouse.com

Avalon Hotel, Beverly Hills

The Avalon – iconic LA modern.

In Beverly Hills, the Avalon was once a retreat for mid-century stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. The small hotel, with its pastel-green-and-white facade, a member of Design Hotels, has been refurbished by LA style maven, Kelly Wearstler. The 50s and 60s vibe reverberates around the petite boomerang-shaped pool, rimmed by lozenges painted in pinks/blues/yellows on the cabana walls, plus curvy chairs and sun-loungers. Tables from Viviane, the hotel’s bistro, spill out around the pool. Inside, colours are more subdued though custom banquettes, honey-coloured timber retro chairs and cactus pots evoke the hotel’s heyday. There’s a bar where you can order an era-perfect martini. See avalon-hotel.com/beverly-hills

Norms, West Hollywood

Perhaps the epitome of mainstream modernism is the mid-century Googie architecture, a space-age style of sharp angles, rocket-ship fins, outrageous rooflines and kookie signage. Post-war optimism, plus new materials and techniques, saw these futuristic buildings – often coffee shops, motels, and gas stations – capture the spirit of the age. The name Googie was from a coffee shop in West Hollywood, designed in 1949 by architect John Lautner, whose residential designs are today highly prized. The 1957 diner Norms on La Cienega with its iconic, sawtooth pennant sign is a classic. Union 76 Gas Station in Beverly Hills is another futuristic gem. See norms.com/our-story

Architecture tours

An architectural tour, with an architect as guide, is an excellent way to discover the modernist designs of Los Angeles. Artchitectours run a tour in Silver Lake (a northwest LA neighbourhood) that includes the Schindler House in West Hollywood, various Richard Neutra designs, including the steel-framed 1927-29 Lovell House with its floating terraces and walls of glass, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1918-21 Aztec-inspired Hollyhock House in Los Feliz. Private and group tours available. See artchitectours.com/tour/los-angeles-silver-lake

The writer was hosted by the Eames Foundation at Eames House.