Of Richard Neutra’s Sale House, Belgian former real estate developer Peter Galliaert said that he ‘felt [it] before going in’. ‘Oh my gosh – this is it,’ he proclaimed. He later bought the residence, which was designed and built in the modernist enclave of Crestwood Hills in Los Angeles in 1960. Now, Galliaert, who is a vocal advocate for mid-century preservation known for collecting architecturally significant works, is listing the home for sale.
The Sale House was originally owned by Robert and Elsa Sale, who commissioned Neutra to create a rustic, woodsy modernist retreat and lived there for 55 years. They designed the house for both art and living, incorporating a skylit entry gallery with soaring ceilings, a bougainvillea-covered pergola, and a sheltered brick terrace positioned to protect ocean views. A subsequent owner was Daniel Humm, the Swiss-born chef-owner of New York institution Eleven Madison Park.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home’s single-storey plan is elegant and intuitive: living, dining and den spaces unfold from a central kitchen, allowing for effortless flow. Glass walls – one of Neutra’s defining signatures – frame views across a protected greenbelt and conservancy mountains, city lights, and the Pacific Ocean stretching toward the Malibu coastline. Galliaert was particularly drawn to how the house ‘moves with the seasons’, offering shifting light and sunset perspectives throughout the year.
Original Neutra-era features remain intact, including built-in cabinetry and furniture, original bathroom tile and mosaic accents created by Elsa Sale, who was an artist-craftsperson. These mosaics appear throughout the house and within the pool, forming an artistic throughline.
A restoration completed between 2020 and 2021 was led by Escher GuneWardena Architecture and GW Design under a strict 'preservation-first' philosophy. The project returned both the house and pool to their authentic state, favouring simple, local and honest materials over stylistic embellishments such as imported stone. New lighting undid decades of over-illumination to restore the home’s original atmospheric vibe.
Set on just over an acre and bordering permanently protected land – an increasingly rare proposition in LA – the property’s landscape was reimagined by Ivette Soler Gardens, known for her work with publisher Benedikt Taschen. Her approach honoured Neutra’s architectural geometry while prioritising the preservation of the Santa Monica Mountains ecosystem, resulting in a naturalistic environment rather than a decorative ‘show garden’. The home’s direct relationship with the nature around it reflects Neutra’s belief that architecture should enhance human wellbeing through its environment.
The Sale House is a rare example of a Neutra residence that has been meticulously restored while remaining fully lived in – a quality that, we think, gives it particular resonance. Rather than existing as a static museum piece, it continues to serve the architect’s original intent. Its modernism does not register as spectacle or dogma, but as something intuitively felt: a harmony between light, landscape and movement that captures the spirit of the movement.
The Sale House is listed by Frank Langen of Compass and Dalton Gomez of Christie's International Real Estate SoCal for $5,295,000.