Find Seclusion in the City With This $2.5M Lloyd Wright Residence
Designed by Lloyd Wright with renovations by architect John Powell, the De Jonghe Residence feels like a natural extension of a hillside high over Los Angeles.
In keeping with the Wright family’s architectural tradition, the De Jonghe Residence appears to grow out of its ridgetop perch over the Los Angeles basin. Designed by Lloyd Wright and echoing his father’s Taliesin West, the 1949 home features stone, concrete, wood, and glass. The seller is architect John Powell, whose experience with midcentury renovations extends to this property as well. For his update, Powell stayed true to original materials, forms, and details—right down to the cabinet knobs, faucets, and spouts. "The adult daughters who grew up in the house wrote me that I had ‘made something special more special,’" says Powell.
A driveway passes under an arch and leads to the rear motor court. The exterior facade of the house is made of stone and concrete, with long bands of windows featuring fir mullions and redwood sills. It also had exterior sheetrock installed in a shiplap style, which Powell replaced with marine-grade fir plywood: "The white color was jarring and exaggerated any inharmonious detail."
Courtesy of Crosby Doe Associates
The integrated living and dining room is contained in an open, hexagonal space with 10-foot ceilings. A long stone wall contains a fireplace, which acts as a divider between the main room and the den. Powell removed the shag carpet that used to run throughout the house and replaced it with concrete topping.
Courtesy of Crosby Doe Associates
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The den provides a cozy seat by the fire. The original wood beams of the ceilings have aged to a golden brown. To match the hue, Powell has stained the wood used for cabinets, doors, molding, a built-in bed, and wainscoting.
Courtesy of Crosby Doe Associates
The two-bedroom, two-bathroom residence features an open floor plan, extensive outdoor decking, and an office space tucked under an archway. Lofted about 1,400 feet above sea level, the home enjoys panoramic views of the ocean, downtown Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, and several mountain ranges that grow white with winter snow. With lush woods lining the opposite side of the street, it also provides the rare opportunity to enjoy nature in the city. Says Powell, "The view of the treetops give the sense of living in a tree house. There is no traffic, no noise, and nothing that interrupts its serenity and sense of privacy."
Powell removed a wall and walk-in pantry to allow the living and dining areas to flow into the kitchen, which is triangular with a granite countertop inlaid with aluminum terrazzo divider strips. He constructed an arched opening with the same radius in the stone arches in the adjacent exterior wall, keeping harmonious proportions throughout the home. The new, straight-grain fir cabinets match the ceilings as well.
Courtesy of Crosby Doe Associates
Another view of the living and dining area shows the stone fireplace and outdoor deck, which offers a commanding vista. A private wing extends from the common space and holds the bedrooms and bathrooms.
Courtesy of Crosby Doe Associates
"Because the glass house is located on a ridge 40 feet above the street, it overlooks all the views yet is completely private," says Powell.
Courtesy of Crosby Doe Associates
An office space is tucked under the arch spanning the driveway.
Courtesy of Crosby Doe Associates
The home is on the market for $2,495,000. For more information, visit the property website.
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