Pool and Patio Property of the Week
Week of April 19, 2010
The midcentury modern home of Marcos Siega - producer/director of The Vampire Diaries and Dexter, among other credits - is up for sale. Located in the Nichols Canyon area of the Hollywood Hills, the 1947-built house has two stories, floor-to-ceiling windows, post-and-beam construction, and the coolest kidney / boomerang-shaped swimming pool.
Siega and his wife, Lisa, are selling the 2,600-square-foot home because they would like a larger family home, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Outside, Looking In
Photo courtesy of realtor.com
Built with the postwar ideal of the Southern California lifestyle in mind, the property also includes patios, an outdoor dining area, and offers sweeping canyon views.
Here - a view of the house from the backyard. From this vantage point, it's hard to tell this is a two-story house. Judging by the date it was built - 1947 - the house is probably one of the earlier examples of midcentury modern residential architecture.
Inside, Looking Out
Photo courtesy of Realtor.com
The house, located at 7855 Woodrow Wilson Drive in Los Angeles, is in good company. Just a few doors down is one of the famous Case Study houses, which is currently owned by actor / singer Zac Efron. Another nearby property was the home and studio of the late Julius Shulman, the esteemed architectural photographer whose work appeared in Sunset Magazine and numerous architectural and home books and publications. Shulman's house was designed by architect Raphael S. Soriano.
The Perfect Kidney
Photo courtesy of Realtor.com
The birth of the backyard swimming pool was in Hollywood's own backyards - namely those of movie stars and studio execs who could afford something so luxurious. Simple rectangles gave way to freeform shapes like boomerangs and the popular kidney-shaped swimming pool - and this home has a fine example of a kidney / boomerang pool.
Your Beams are Exposed
Photo courtesy of Realtor.com
Post-and-beam construction is a hallmark of midcentury modern architectural design, and the dark-wood exposed beams in the den are a highlight. Large windows create that seamless indoor / outdoor connection.
Glow
Photo courtesy of The Sunset Team
Modern Yard
Photo courtesy of The Sunset Team
A deep-seating patio set makes this space a comfortable outdoor room. The citrus and succulents are potted in a midcentury-style (or possibly authentic) architectural planter.
Shulmanesque Pool at Dusk
Photo courtesy of The Sunset Team
Another view of the house from the pool at dusk, with palms silhouetted against the sky. The abovementioned photographer, the late Julius Shulman, often captured midcentury modern houses at dusk - outside looking in - with the warm glow of the rooms within and the people who inhabited them.
Sidescaping
Photo courtesy of The Sunset Team
Neat, well-manicured landscaping graces the Hollywood Hills property. Even a narrow side area bed is green and lush with a mass of low-maintenance fortnight lily. The plants are appropriately kept at a height below the windows, but aren't given a buzz-cut along the top to form an unnatural-looking hedge.
