SPARKLING: The swimming pool captures the reflection of the contemporary house, listed for $10.9 million.
The three-level home sits along the spine of narrow promontory with unobstructed views that stretch across L.A.
FROM LATIMES.COM
A luxurious fortress of concrete, glass and steel presents an imposing profile near the end of a winding drive high above the Sunset Strip.
Designed by Santa Monica architect David Lawrence Gray and completed in 1996, the threelevel contemporary home sits along the spine of narrow promontory with unobstructed views that stretch from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Getty Center.
Dramatic flourishes abound — nowhere more so than in a jutting backyard that feels as though it is suspended above the city. A rectangular lawn contains a lap pool extending from the base of a raised patio at the rear of the house to an elevated blue-tiled spa with room for a dozen soakers.
In front, a concrete portico supported by circular steel beams and topped by rows of angled skylights leads to a pair of tall glass doors. A long entry hall that doubles as an art gallery extends almost the entire length of the structure. It has tiled slate floors, poured concrete walls, glass bricks and a frosted glass atrium ceiling some 30 feet high, well above the home’s upper level.
Owner Val Kolton, a disc jockey and music producer who cofounded the headphone and design company V-Moda, has made this space the home’s social hub, installing a state-of-the-art DJ station and a generous assortment of remote-controlled professional speakers and lights that are attached to the exposed steel beams. A powder room has twinkling LED lights embedded in the ceiling, creating a multicolored display that reflects off a gleaming black granite floor.
A double-sided concrete and glass fireplace has a pair of circular metal flues that rise to the ceiling. The fireplace structure separates the hall from the high-ceilinged living room, which features city and canyon views through windows that reach two stories. Flanking the living room are a music room and a den, both framed by structural concrete beams and featuring built-in maple cabinets that reach from floor to ceiling.
A platform of circular glass steps leads from the central hall to the kitchen and dining room, where dark walnut floors and lower ceilings provide intimacy. A curved walnut booth stained pomegranate red divides the space, functioning as a serving
See FORTRESS, page C42
