Kalmick House, 1950

City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 634. High up in the Santa Monica Mountains of Brentwood, this award-winning home is one of the best surviving examples of the forward-looking Mutual Housing Association's postwar experiment. The original architecture is elegantly simple: a low-slung horizontal roof with tongue-and-groove ceiling resting gently on composite beams and slender posts - the purest expression of form and function. Eight-foot wide sliding glass doors allow the free flowing open plan to continue outdoors to the property line, where lush landscaping respects the privacy of neighboring homes. Inside, natural materials express themselves unadorned: redwood and Douglas fir siding, concrete block and polished concrete floors. Recent renovations include a Bulthaup kitchen with Meile and Subzero appliances, baths upgraded with marble and teak, and the finest European fixtures and fittings. Sited on a large lot at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac with private, gated drive and canyon and ocean views. 3 BD, 2 BA, 1,469 SF.