Few trends have shaped contemporary American interiors as quietly and thoroughly as “Millennial gray”. A procession of slate walls, ash tones, and agreeable neutrality swept through homes in the 2010s. When journalist and best-selling author Susan Orlean came across this 1950s Hollywood Hills home in 2017, it had succumbed to the phenomenon. The gray walls and beige carpeting were “like a woman dressed in a very dowdy outfit,” but beneath the surface was a remarkable piece of architecture.
With architect Barbara Bestor and designer Jeff Fink, Orlean and her husband, John Gillespie, embarked on a multi-year restoration that peeled back the dull layers, revealing its original mahogany and Douglas fir walls and ceilings, while replacing carpeting with red oak floors. Now, brought back to glory, the 3,549-square-foot midcentury modern has come to market seeking $6.35 million.
Built in 1946 by R.W. Schindler for artist and film director Mischa Kallis, the home reflects the architect’s signature modernist sensibility that captured Orlean’s attention. Features such as a butterfly roof, slanted walls, and custom built-ins later helped the property earn designation as Historic-Cultural Monument No. 860 by the city of Los Angeles in 2007.
“Schindler’s got this incredible sense of space being malleable,” Orlean tells the Wall Street Journal. “The angles and the views are constantly changing depending on where you are in the house.”
The four-bedroom home appears to be spilling down the sloping 0.4-acre lot, though at one point the movement was more than a visual. A falling foundation on one end caused the house to shift a few inches downhill before being “jacked up” with caissons to stabilize the base, Orlean’s husband shares. The couple purchased the home for $2.1 million and spent more than $3 million in its restoration. They also added luxurious amenities, including a pool, jacuzzi, private bocce court, and a steam shower in the primary bathroom.
Cooper Mount and Hanna Ginsberg of Carolwood Estates represent the listing.
