Description

Rodney Walker, architect; 1951. One of the most consequential names of Mid-Century Modernism, Walker contributed three built designs to the revered Case Study House program. No other architect had more. Located above Mulholland, up a serene private lane, located within an enclave of four houses Walker designed and built and one he called home (and he could have chosen anywhere).The house announces itself quietly. A sculptor's entry court. A stainless steel door framed by frosted glass and set into a grid of concrete block. No ornamentation. No apology. Pure Walker. The sense of remove from the city below is complete, while only five minutes away. This is a house that exists on its own terms, at its own altitude. Inside, the architecture does what Walker always intended: it gets out of the way. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls dissolve along the entire rear elevation, opening the living spaces onto a landscape that feels curated rather than merely planted. Japanese maple, birds of paradise, flowering perennials, a long, dark-bottomed reflecting pool with floating stone platforms that seems to merge with the sky at the horizon. The views from this elevation, over the treetops to sky, remind you exactly why you came up the lane in the first place. The great room is the heart of the home, and where the simplicity of the post and beam architecture is most evident. The kitchen is worthy of any master chef. Stainless countertops and backsplash, warm teak cabinetry, Sub-Zero refrigerator, full appliance suite. It functions the way Walker's houses always functioned; beautifully, without calling attention to itself. The primary bedroom is a sanctuary: warm oak floors, a fireplace, and glass doors that open directly to the garden and a private koi pond. The second bedroom, with its floor-to-ceiling built-in library wall, opens to the lush garden. Both bathrooms are modern and equally considered. The furnishings are equally as elevated, featuring pieces designed by several of the most notable designers of the time, including Eames, Miles van der Rohe, Saarinen, Nelson and Aarnio. This is not just a house. It's an opportunity to live in functional art.