When you think of a home in the Hollywood Hills, you think modern façades, whitewashed exteriors, lush greenery in every direction and expansive, breathtaking views—and you wouldn’t be wrong. In the case of this home, though, it’s not all floor-to-ceiling glass, sliding doors and beams of shining steel. Instead, for Osklo, which was responsible for the architecture and interior design, it was all about maximising the views and embracing opulent, Hollywood Regency architecture, while bringing in a bit more warmth and comfort.
“In the Hollywood Hills, you usually only get an east or west facing views,” explains Osklo principal Michael Martin. “This house has both.” To capitalise on these, and in line with the owners’ vision of ‘framing’ these views, they brought in oversized casement windows: downtown LA is clearly seen to the east, and Century City and the ocean to the west.
Originally built in 1948 and rumoured to be an original John Elgin Woolf, the home was first designed by Robert Koch, then later by Waldo Fernandez, when the property was owned by the actor Michael York and his wife, Patricia. Fernandez introduced a Mediterranean interpretation, with Saltillo Mexican tiling throughout and a kitchen tucked off to the side of the house, for more private dining.
The current owners purchased it, along with an adjoining property, in 2021, with plans to combine the two, but decided instead to refurbish the 5,000-square-foot home once they realised its charm (and, of course, those views). Incongruous elements were stripped back in favour of open, light-filled spaces and a more neutral palette. Today, the home comprises four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and multiple living areas, all on a double lot with a six-car motor court lined in cobbled limestone.
Part of the home’s charm shines through at the front, which features two, symmetrical creamy white blocks edged in black that then give way to a two-story entry that’s framed in plaster and glass. It feels quaint, yet also grand and modern: Hollywood Regency for the 21st century.
That elegance continues inside, though tinged with a bit more warmth. “We wanted a Scandinavian take on Hollywood opulence,” says principal Arya Martin, “so we mixed rift oak panelling and wide plank floors with matte plaster walls, which reminded me of the pale white foundation of Hollywood starlets Jane Russell and Katherine Hepburn, [who] could have lived in the house long ago.”
The Martins’ favourite room is the dining room, which is sunken from the kitchen and at pool level, with floor-to-ceiling glass doors on two sides offering views of downtown LA. “We brought in an additional fireplace that we elevated to dining level, so that late-night dinners were surrounding by flickering light on both sides,” says Martin. An oval dining table is surrounded by cosy, shearling-wrapped chairs and a leafy, seven-foot tree in the corner ties to the lush greenery outside.
That welcoming feeling carries through the kitchen and living areas, with the Osklo team introducing higher seat heights and roomier sofas for comfort, as well as muted antique rugs and earth-toned fabrics on furniture. “My favourite room is the kitchen,” says owner Davana Fryzer. “I wanted it to be a gathering area for the entire house and also have the feel that it had been there for a while. The panelled cabinetry in rift oak is mixed with a breakfast nook that hugs the architecture of the house. It’s a truly incredible room.”
In the TV room, the same rift oak panelling is complemented by a bespoke marble fireplace and pair of Ico Parisi lounge chairs found outside of Palermo—“one of the best versions of the chairs we have come across,” notes Arya Martin. “We chose a longer mohair that feels like an older woman’s most adored sweater and the legs have a perfect patina.”
The mark of a true home, however, is the feeling it ultimately imparts and ongoing positive feedback from the owners. “Over time, the home should reveal itself with nuances and visual moments layered in [with] new memories and experiences,” says Arya Martin. “The owners progressively like the home more and more—which we are happy to report is the case with this project.”
9100 Cordell Dr, Sunset Strip | $15,995,000 | Represented by Drew Fenton and Davannah Linkon-Fryzer
