In collaboration with Bestor Architecture we spent three years meticulously upgrading this iconic John Lautner home for its new owners, Luke Wood and Sophia Nardin. We were tasked with sensitively upgrading the dated systems without detracting from the landmark’s historic fabric and original innovations.

The home was considered an engineering marvel at the time of its construction in 1964. It was one of the most technically and structurally innovative homes in the world, with features like a cantilevered 4-inch-thick concrete driveway, a pre-stressed concrete roof spanning 80 feet, one of the first infinity edge pools, and custom automated glass doors and wood louvers.  

The modernist home, which overlooks the Silver Lake Reservoir in Los Angeles, necessitated a rigorous and surgical approach on account of its historic status. We began with a careful study of the home’s inner workings, reviewing hundreds of original drawings and conducting interviews with historians, former employees of Lautner’s, and a number of contractors.   

Our work was quiet yet significant, encompassing the entirety of the residence: it was critical that any design detail, whether that be a restoration or a revival, defer to the integrity of the home’s original character. Notably, we were instrumental in the addition of custom retractable glass panels in the master bath, which complement the original operable skylight in the master bedroom—an ambitious undertaking given the home’s complicated structural history.