Lease on life: a renovation revitalises Richard Neutra’s Josef Kun House #1
Located between West Hollywood and Laurel Canyon, just around the corner from the legendary Chateau Marmont, Richard Neutra's Josef Kun House #1 is one of the modernist architect's iconic landmarks in Los Angeles.
The very first all-electric home in L.A., it was designed for Josef Kun, a journalist, and completed in 1936. Recently, its renovation was finalised - a painstaking and meticulous project that took 7 years, of which the first 3 consisted solely of research. James Rega, a musician-turned-preservationist, was involved with the structure's restoration, while Belgian interior designer Thibaut Van Hoorebeke oversaw the furnishings.
'Nothing was left to chance, every detail is as it originally was,' says Van Hoorebeke. 'Even the screws on the decks have been turned in the very same direction and we found the exact orange for the kitchen cabinets in Mexico,' he adds, elaborating on the many details that give this home an uncanny sense of authenticity, resulting in it being one of the recipients of the 2015 Conservancy Preservation Award.
The wooden doors and window frames are painted silver – a typical Neutra touch. Vitrolite, an obsolete material, was used for the walls in the bathroom and kitchen. The wooden floor in the living quarters is stained oak.
'The house itself was my biggest inspiration but simultaneously my biggest hurdle,' Van Hoorebeke says, hinting at the complexities of working within such a dominant architecture. His main challenge was to ensure the comfort of the 1732 sq ft, 2.5 storey midcentury house was up to the standards of a 21st century dweller. The serene interior, which mixes design pieces from the house's era with a variation of styles and materials, firmly reflects the residence's contemporary relevance.
The white dining table, a T88A Maarten Van Severen, is surrounded by Bellini Cab chairs from 1977, upholstered in brown leather. A Sori Yanagi's butterfly stool and the many large-leafed plants soften the geometric character of the structure, lending a homely atmosphere to this sun-filled Hollywood Hills abode.
INFORMATION
For more information on the interiors visit Van Hoorebeke's website
Photography: Verne Photography
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Siska Lyssens has contributed to Wallpaper* since 2014, covering design in all its forms – from interiors to architecture and fashion. Now living in the U.S. after spending almost a decade in London, the Belgian journalist puts her creative branding cap on for various clients when not contributing to Wallpaper* or T Magazine.
-
With Bird, Andrea Arnold has created a whole new style of cinema
The director’s latest masterpiece has confounded critics, but only she could have created a social magical realist film that soars so high above dogmatic thinking
By Jordan Bassett Published
-
A bicycle made for two: MOD’s Easy SideCar Sahara e-bike gives your pet a place to perch
Have sidecar, will travel: MOD Bikes have drawn on iconic motorcycle style to create the new desert-themed Easy SideCar Sahara
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary art
As Jack Whitten exhibition ‘Speedchaser’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, and before a major retrospective at MoMA opens next year, we explore the American artist's impact
By Finn Blythe Published
-
A new Texas house transforms a sloping plot into a multi-layered family home
The Griggs Residence is a Texas house that shields its interior world and spacious terraces with a stone and steel façade
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Light, nature and modernist architecture: welcome to the reimagined Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens and its modernist Roberto Burle Marx-designed greenhouse get a makeover by Weiss/Manfredi and Reed Hildebrand in the US
By Ian Volner Published
-
A bridge in Buffalo heralds a new era for the city's LaSalle Park
A new Buffalo bridge offers pedestrian access over busy traffic for the local community, courtesy of schlaich bergermann partner
By Amy Serafin Published
-
Tour this Bel Vista house by Albert Frey, restored to its former glory in Palm Springs
An Albert Frey Bel Vista house has been restored and praised for its revival - just in time for the 2025 Palm Springs Modernism Week Preview
By Hadani Ditmars Published
-
First look: step inside 144 Vanderbilt, Tankhouse and SO-IL’s new Brooklyn project
The first finished duplex inside Tankhouse and SO-IL’s 144 Vanderbilt in Fort Greene is a hyper-local design gallery curated by Brooklyn studio General Assembly
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Tour Ray's Seagram Building HQ, an ode to art and modernism in New York City
Real estate venture Ray’s Seagram Building HQ in New York is a homage to corporate modernism
By Diana Budds Published
-
Populus by Studio Gang, the ‘first carbon positive hotel in the US’ takes root in Denver
Populus by Studio Gang opens in Denver, offering a hotel with a distinctive, organic façade and strong sustainability credentials
By Siska Lyssens Published
-
This Californian home offers the unexpected through ‘deconstructed’ desert living
Gardens & Villas, a home in La Quinta, California, brings contemporary luxury to its desert setting through a collaboration between architects Andrew McClure and Christopher McLean
By Ellie Stathaki Published