Today's LA Times Home & Garden feature story is a look inside the recently restored Harpel House. It was originally designed by architect John Lautner. If you've never heard of The Harpel House, you're not alone. It hasn't garnered as much attention as some of Lautner's other Los Angeles homes (such as this one or this one). The fact that previous owners subjected it to many "misguided additions" hasn't help either. However, current owner Mark Haddawy has brought it back to the original design... More after the jump...
From the article, "The place was just weird," says Mark Haddawy, who bought the house in 2006. "It looked like the owners had taken every opportunity imaginable to turn it into something completely conventional. But Lautner was about as unconventional as you can get. So why would you do that?"
The renovation took two years and Haddaway was able to even recreate the architect's light fixtures, door knobs and other details. Read the entire story here, and be sure to check out the slideshow for more pics.
[ images by Gary Friedman for LAT ]
Didn't read the article, but what is the point of buying a house like this when you are going to make changes that don't fit the house? How 'bout you buy a different house? What a concept!
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I have to respond to the above comment...
You should probably read the article before commenting.
Mark Haddawy actually brought this house back to it's original state. He has made some great contributions to modernist preservation. This house was a disaster before he bought it, and now it is once again a gym that is true to Lautner's vision.
I just thought it was important to respond so that people aren't misinformed by your comment.
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