Name: Wolff House by John Lautner
Location: Hollywood Hills
Size: 3 bedroom
How do you decorate a museum-quality "homage to modernism"? The Wolff House was built by John Lautner in 1961 in typical Lautner wood, stone and glass form, and was notably most recently purchased/flipped by actor Vincent Gallo after restoring the architectural treasure under the Mills Act Historical Property Contract Program. Take a peek inside what was done before selling it for inspiration you can use in your home…
Kristin Kilmer Interior Design worked on the restoration and and interior decor of the Wolff House, incorporating recycled and restored furniture pieces that mixes in well with the natural surface beauty of Lautners' interiors. A respectful palette of earth/foilage colours are used throughout, allowing the interior to naturally flow out into the view offered by the expansive glass that wraps around the building in a sort of treehouse effect. People often ignore what's viewable and outside of their window; drawing upon colours and forms outside can help expand perceived space of both smaller and large interiors…a great trick to steal for those with a great view.
The home's green character isn't limited to just colours. The interior was decorated with furniture and decorative pieces with an eco-developed nature in tune with Lautner's naturalistic architectural features. Carpeting constructed from recycled Coke bottles, a yellow desk made from architectural levels, vintage lighting, sustainable upholstery/fabrics, and non-toxic finishes were used throughout to complement a home originally built with reclaimed wood from railroads. Each of the decorative elements within the rooms have a cohesive relationship with the walls, window and view outside that we hope to one day emulate in a home even a fraction as beautiful as the Wolff House.
More about the Wolff House at JohnLautner.org.
* Interior designer Kristen Kilmer contacted us to clarify about the project: "The house was bought from Vincent by my client Michael La Fetra who helped me make the restoration possible."
(Photos: Kristin Kilmer)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I found my new Dream Home!
view RBOttawa's profile
I love everything except the bathroom. The tiles are out of period and I'm sure something from Heath would have looked nicer. Other than that, great job!
view LBhirise's profile
I grew up in a 1961 house, and we had those tiles, just not everywhere like that - only surrounding the tub and on the floor. The place I live in now has those (original). Not easy to clean.
view perfidia's profile
Odd. The last five pictures look like they're from a completely different house.
view slowdown's profile
Wow, I was loving it until the last five pictures... did the author photograph a frat pad after the Lautner house and accidentally upload the extra images?
view Modfan's profile
Hi I'm the designer of the house, Kristin Kilmer. Have no fear, the last five photos were indeed posted in error and I have not seen them ever before. However, I would like to make an important clarification. I aided in the restoration with my esteemed client, Michael La Fetra (and not Vincent Gallo who Michael purchased the house from). He is a conservationist and well-known in Los Angeles for having purchased architecturally significant homes and restoring and preserving them to their original specifications after they have been dilapidated and mistreated by previous owners after many years. Thankfully, the Wolff house was in pretty good shape while many others were not. Some of these owners were actually aficionados themselves such as professors that did not have the budget to maintain their authenticity while others simply did not care or see the value in maintaining such an important piece of our city's history. I am honored to be a part of Michael La Fetra's vision and encourage everyone to view his other houses that I've had the privilege to design in conjunction with him and other talented architects and contractors in Los Angeles.
view KristinKilmer's profile