Set among hills, this Pasadena house is a classic example of mid-century modernist architecture with a storied creative history. Up for sale via Sotheby’s International Realty, the Conrad Buff II Residence was designed for artists and writers Mary and Conrad Buff II and completed in 1955.
The house offers a classic Californian lifestyle
Step inside Conran Buff II Residence, a modernist Pasadena house
The firm charged with the design of this single-storey, four bedroom was residence was Buff and Hensman, established in 1948 by Don Hensman and Conran Buff III, the son of the clients. Joined by Calvin Straub shortly after the completion of this residence, the firm went on to work on Arts & Architecture Magazine’s Case Study programme, designing house #20 for designer Saul Bass. Other projects included a house for Steve McQueen and the design of Case Study house #28.
Built in 1955 and refurbished in 2017, the house maintains a wealth of original features
After Straub left in 1962, the firm continued, with Buff himself dying in 1989 and the architect Dennis Smith joining the firm as a partner. It was Smith who led a full renovation and extension of the Buff House in 2017, which was subsequently used for a spell as the firm’s office, as well as winning a local historic preservation award. The renovation updated the house throughout and as a result it’s in fine physical condition.
Walnut cabinets and cork floors evoke the simple material approach of the 50s
Tucked into a hillside overlooking a canyon, the house is arranged over a single storey in a north-south linear configuration. Behind the automated gates, an elegant carport with a shallow-pitched roof and slender structure defines the entrance façade, with one side leading to the front door and the other to the deck and naturally planted garden by contemporary garden designer Ivette Soler.
The house retains its exposed structural frame
Inside, the post-and-beam structure that defined so much of the practice’s residential work in California is very much in evidence. The original walnut cabinetry and storage remains in place, restored and expanded, while cork flooring gives a warm feeling underfoot throughout the primary rooms.
Natural planting comes right up to the edge of the structure
All bedrooms have direct access to the garden and there’s also a sitting area contained in the primary suite.
The primary bedroom has its own terrace area
The neighbourhood is scattered with low-key architectural gems, many of which follow the established mid-century playbook of single-storey, open plan houses that make the most of the Californian climate with their sliding glass walls and slender steel or timber structures.
The house is flooded with natural light
The Conrad Buff II Residence in Pasadena is for sale via Sotheby’s Realty, Los Feliz Brokerage
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom wineries-turned-music studios to fire-resistant holiday homes, these are the properties that have most impressed the Wallpaper* editors this month
-
La Monique brings the French Riviera to Santa MonicaA transportive room of velvet, candlelight, and Riviera chic, serving French favourites with a modern wink
-
Kat Milne is the designer behind fashion’s most intriguing retail spacesInfused with elements of the surreal, Kat Milne has designed stores for the likes of Marc Jacobs, Sandy Liang and A24. ‘People are looking for a more tactile experience,’ she tells Wallpaper*
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the month
From wineries-turned-music studios to fire-resistant holiday homes, these are the properties that have most impressed the Wallpaper* editors this month
-
The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
-
Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi designed a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead will be opened to the public for the first timeThe home, a defining example of the architect’s vision for American design, has been acquired by the Mississippi Museum of Art, which will open it to the public, giving visitors the chance to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius firsthand
-
Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume
-
This ethereal Miami residence sprouted out of a wild, jungle-like gardenA Miami couple tapped local firm Brillhart Architecture to design them a house that merged Florida vernacular, Paul Rudolph and 'too many plants to count’
-
Tour Cano House, a Los Angeles home like no other, full of colour and quirkCano House is a case study for tranquil city living, cantilevering cleverly over a steep site in LA’s Mount Washington and fusing California modernism with contemporary flair
-
An ocean-facing Montauk house is 'a coming-of-age, a celebration, a lair'A Montauk house on Hither Hills, designed by Hampton architects Oza Sabbeth, is wrapped in timber and connects its residents with the ocean
