Before & After: The STAHL2 House

I want to share the before and after story of The STAHL2 House, a great story of transformation, family history, and perseverance.

As Founder and CEO of DLZ | INTERIORS Inc. (www.DLZinteriors.com), I helped my filmmaker friend, Eric Steven Stahl, remodel the family home that he and his brother, Bob, inherited when their mother passed away 4 years ago (at age 93). Their father, a Kennedy-era State Department Appointee (or an international spy?), passed away decades prior.

The home was bought new in 1956 by the Stahls, a mid-century modern gem in Sherman Oaks with incredible valley views, designed by then-Architect to the Stars, Edward H Fickett AIA, who designed homes for the everyday worker, to celebrities such as Diana Ross and Dick Clark (to name a few). Amazingly, I spoke to Edward’s widow, Joycie Fickett, and she would love to see the completed project, and revealing it live to Joycie exclusively with Dwell would be an amazing opportunity!

Initially, the remodel was going to be a quick fix and flip, but once we started toying around with ideas, Eric took on the project with the tenacity and grit usually reserved for his films! He decided this would be his masterpiece, and he would spare no detail. Everything was meticulously thought out, designed and detailed.

To pull this off, Eric took on the role of General Contractor, in addition to Visionary. While I provided design guidance, resources, advice, specs, renderings, plan check documents for permitting, and construction documentation, it was all about bringing Eric’s vision to life.

It took 4 years of patience, mistakes, fixes, and learning the "contractor ropes", but Eric finally completed the home in April 2021. And before the house hit the market, the brothers received an all-cash “name your price” offer from the first person to see it, before it hit the market!

I also love the artwork used in the Staging, from the amazing jazz photography by Bob Barry, to modern works by Sharon Cannon, to large scale abstracts by Eric himself, to the custom pieces Eric commissioned from 15-year old artist prodigy, Anna-Maria Nikolova, known as the “Young Sorcerous of Expressionism” (High View Art).

There is a great story to be told about Eric’s journey from childhood to 4 years of painstakingly remodeling The STAHL2 House (as in squared), a tribute by Stahl to Pierre Koeing and his case study house #22, (known around the world as STAHL HOUSE - no relation), the most famous Mid Century Modern home of them all, nestled high above Sunset, in the Hollywood Hills.

To appreciate the details, here is a flyby of the entire home: vimeo.com/558...