Ilana Gafni

The John Lautner Residence, 1940. John Lautner, FAIA. The architect's own residence. On the National Register of Historic Places. When the work was published, architectural critic Henry Russell Hitchcock called it the "best house by an architect under 30 in the U.S." Historian Alan Hess wrote of Lautner's work, "they embodied kinetic energy, rising and looping skyward in exhilarating leaps - one of the vernacular and visceral designs of freedom that Lautner appropriated in his art." When built, the two bedrooms in the residence were accessible from a balcony which has since been enclosed. Yellow stucco and natural redwood were the original finishes of the house. Natural ventilation was created by sloping the ceiling over the two level main living space so that the warm air would rise and exit above the kitchen. A patio just outside the kitchen & dining area expand indoor/outdoor flow. 2 bd/2 ba + bonus/bd, original built-ins, fireplace in living room, & views of the surrounding hills.