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As Wright’s first L.A. project, the iconic Hollyhock House was built between 1919 and 1921 and was filled with challenges from beginning to end. Enter Aline Barnsdall, the wealthy oil heiress and arts patron who held the dream of having a live-in venue to produce her own avant-garde plays. Wright wanted to create a design that would be defined by the region and that took advantage of Southern California's temperate climate. To do this, each interior space is echoed with an exterior space in the form of pergolas, porches, outdoor sleeping quarters, glass doors, and rooftop terraces that look out to the Hollywood Hills and the Los Angeles Basin.

The exterior grounds of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House.

The hollyhock motifs lining the exterior of the building were thought to have been created on-site by combining dry natural materials with water into a mold that would then form into the desired shape. The use of clay created the look and feel of concrete that’s clearly influenced by pre-Columbian indigenous architecture.

The Hollyhock House was one of the last residences where Wright designed a comprehensive art glass window scheme that’s carried throughout the residence. Throughout the property, there are 130 examples of this.

One of the standout moments in the space is the cast concrete fireplace, which is considered to be one of Wright’s greatest two-dimensional works of art. Depicting an abstract landscape, the detail is spectacular, yet leaves much to the imagination while incorporating a bit of the hollyhock flower. Wright completed the fireplace with a skylight above and a moat in front that was designed to hold a pool of water. This was originally part of an elaborate water scheme to run throughout the property, though it was never completed. Regardless, the fireplace thus incorporated the four elements of nature: light, earth, fire, and water—making it a brilliant vision, even if it never ended up the way it was fully imagined.

TK Ikebana TK. “The house needs to be in constant dialogue with the art communities here in L.A. and the artists,

The TK facade of the house. In contrast to Wright’s earlier Midwestern-inspired Prairie-style designs, the temple-like Hollyhock House was influenced by pre-Columbian architecture, notably Mayan and Aztec styles, though some have also described it as Asian or Egyptian. The result was something the architect called “California Romanza,” and Wright’s use of hollow clay tile covered in stucco presaged his later textile block residences.

Perched on a forested hillside, the cedar-clad house conjures up tree house vibes with organic materials, double-height ceilings, and an elevated deck.

This historic two-story condo by Ray Kappe has double-height windows, original wood paneling, and three separate patios.

Upstairs, neutral carpeting runs throughout each of the five bedrooms.

Located steps from the beach in Kent, England, the recently renovated structure has a Flemish-bond brick facade, limewashed interiors, and a striking steel staircase.

Designer Peter Steere took down the pitched roof and wrapped the home in metal cladding reminiscent of rural barns.

“When you are photographing architecture, you need to know the theory and the history very well. But at the same time, I like to feel free to picture whatever I notice and whatever seems very important in a space, not only the design pieces,” Martin says. She and Paleari shot the space as they found it, including taking portraits of Maria. “She’s sweet, but very tough,” Martin says of her subject.