Photo Credit: Jilbert Daniel
In a place where stories become movies and pedestrians are celebrities, even the mundane seems larger than life in Los Angeles, and it’s no different when it comes to the city’s real estate landscape. Listed at $1.725M, architect William King’s “domestead” abode has been an icon of LA’s contemporary art scene since 2000, and it stands out even amongst the city’s most celebrated eccentricities.
The bustling metropolis has always been a center for contemporary art, and many LA homeowners opt for unique, yet cozy pads that offer a retreat from the city’s craziness while infusing its distinctive flare. Western-style homes in Malibu stray from modern minimalism in favor of rustic relaxation, while majestic castle-like homes combine old-world charm with indoor-outdoor living.
Photo Credit: Jilbert Daniel
Formerly owned by artist Fritz Haeg, the dome home hits the market boasting an unmistakable sculptural essence with open flowing space and views to spare. Its unique geometry resembles something of a lavish tree house, giving the parcel a distinctly mystical feel that transports visitors away from an otherwise teeming city.
Photo Credit: Jilbert Daniel
The artful abode spans around 1,800 square feet across three floors, and each one has a unique mood. A skylit earth-sheltered lower level offers serenity with poured concrete and minimalist decor in organic colors and textures. The next level is home to a timber-framed kitchen flooded with natural light, and up a spiral staircase lies the domed level, complete with a wrap-around deck that overlooks a quarter acre of native and cultivated garden space.
Photo Credit: Jilbert Daniel
Going beyond seamless indoor-outdoor concepts, the dome home incorporates sustainability throughout. Its earth-sheltered level is naturally cooling, and the surrounding gardens include low-water plants partially irrigated with greywater. The crowning dome is deceptively functional as its energy-efficient design uses the least amount of materials to enclose the most space.
Photo Credit: Aurelia D'Amore Photography
Even with its geodesic dome, the home’s avant-garde architecture isn’t its most enticing feature. The free-flowing interior exists outside the confines of boxy rooms and conventional windows, making for spaces defined more by feeling than function. Aside from the kitchen, which is perfect for any cooking occasion, each room was designed with specific moods and times of day in mind. Some feel cool, quiet, cozy, and solitary while others invite community and sunshine through triangular windows.
Photo Credit: Aurelia D'Amore Photography
Additional features of the famed domestead at 2538 Sundown, Glassell Park include a 250 square foot canvas dome yurt on a wood platform, art studio, outdoor shower, wood soaking tub overlooking the garden, access to foot trails, and more.
