In their heyday, mid-century modern homes were revolutionary for their sleek simpliciity and connection with their natural surroundings. Mid-century homes traded heavy ornamentation and thick walls for angular, minimalist lines and large glass windows that flooded their interiors with natural light and brought the outdoors indoors. The movement pioneered a bold fusion of modern aesthetics and natural beauty that continues to influence modern architecture to this day.
Naturally, these homes were at their best when complemented by striking natural scenery, and in scenic Southern California, the mid-century modern movement thrived. This led to some truly exceptional examples like this one: the Garduno-Heiser house, a 1960 Los Angeles home that appears to "float" off of its hillside.
This home looks lighter than air, and to be fair, it's just about as close to "lighter than air" as a house can be without turning into the balloon home from Up . According to Los Angeles realtor @mattmorgus , the lot the home was built on was once considered "unbuildable" for its extremely steep hillside grade. Yet two young architectural students from USC managed to build the unbuildable by using ultra-lightweight materials supported by a strong steel framework that allowed the home to jut right off the hillside!
This lightweight home was instantly recognized as an ingenious triumph of engineering, earning a favorable write-up in the October 1961 issue of Arts & Architecture magazine. Decades down the line, it's still a wonder to behold. It's giving The Jetsons , but in the best kind of way!
A Mid-Century Modern Marvel
This stunning home has all the quintessential elements of mid-century modern architecture, particularly in its open, airy design. Nearly every room is full of floor-to-ceiling windows with views stretching out for miles over the Los Angeles landscape and adding to the home's "floaty" feeling.
There's tons of other classic MCM motifs like exposed beams in the ceiling, warm wooden paneling in the kitchen, skylights, and colorful bathroom tiling. There's even touches of Japanese inspiration, like with the sliding shoji screen in the bathroom near the courtyard's sunken tub. All of it serves to complement the home's seamless "indoor-outdoor flow," which Matt admired, especially with the living room's 500-foot wraparound balcony accentuating the illusion of weightlessness. This home is a breathtaking marvel both for its engineering innovation and elegant, enduring style - to think that it was all designed by a couple of college kids!
More than 60 years after its construction, this house looks just as stunning as it was when it was brand new- and for a lucky (and affluent) buyer, this could be a dream home! This mid-century modern beauty is listed under Ilana Gafni of Crosby Doe Associates, and will have its next open house on July 6 and 7 from 2-5 pm both days.
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