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Tour a Malibu Home That’s a True Modernist Marvel
Pity the poor word iconic. Over the past the decade, the term has been worn out from overuse, applied to anything and everything, from teeth whiteners to D-list celebrities. But how better to describe this late-1950s Malibu home by architect Craig Ellwood? Recently reimagined by Los Angeles designer Mallery Roberts Morgan for a young Italian entrepreneur, the home radiates an aura of Miesian discipline and precision puréed in a sieve of sun-kissed California midcentury modernism. Although it is not one of Ellwood’s three official Case Study houses, the structure epitomizes the optimism, structural ingenuity, and low-key glamour of the Case Study program. It is, indeed, an icon of the era.
Even the smallest renovation of such an estimable piece of architecture requires a light, deft touch and, naturally, a profound respect for the integrity of the original conception. Happily, few designers possess a touch as adroit and confident as that of Roberts Morgan. Marrying a deep knowledge of history with an incisive eye for contemporary design that is both lasting and sympathetic to Ellwood’s vision, Roberts Morgan tailored her emendations to the house for genuine impact on flow, mood, and usage, with no perceptible disruption of the existing architecture—everything looks as if it were designed by Ellwood or, at the very least, an addition he would heartily approve.
The installation of new wall-to-wall carpeting, for example, was a detail lifted from period photographs taken just as the architect was completing the commission. “With Ellwood’s blessing, so to speak, we chose to do the same thing, and it was a total game changer. Immediately the house felt more expansive,” the designer says. Roberts Morgan’s decision to install white mesh curtains throughout the home created another subtle but palpable shift in the ambience of the interiors. “The curtains add a layer of softness and warmth to the cool, planar architecture,” she explains. “And with all the direct sunlight pouring into the house, the curtains are the most effective HVAC equipment in the house.”
Although the home’s previous owners had executed a sensitive, painstaking restoration, Roberts Morgan nevertheless orchestrated a few strategic interventions to adapt the property to the needs of her client and his frequent guests. Chief among them was the installation of a new courtyard with an alfresco dining setup, designed in collaboration with the AD100 landscape firm Terremoto. Elsewhere, Johnston Marklee created a new outdoor gym pavilion and a monolithic, minimalist outdoor shower—both of which engage in a cross-generational design dialogue with Ellwood’s midcentury architecture.
Roberts Morgan’s assured hand is most evident in the fresh spirit of the interior design, a polyglot assemblage of intriguing furniture, objects, and artworks drawn from the period of the architecture as well as the contemporary Los Angeles design scene. Classic midcentury designs by the likes of Pierre Paulin, Charles Eames, Bruno Matthson, and Walter Lamb rub shoulders amicably with contemporary California makers such Waka Waka, Vince Skelly, Jonathan Cross, Bari Ziperstein, and Caroline Blackburn. The look is layered but never overwrought, perfectly attuned to the restrained architectural envelope.
“My toolbox draws not only from my years living in Europe and America but from countless personal relationships from the worlds of design journalism, fashion, and art,” Roberts Morgan says, reflecting on her singular sensibility and design approach. “I grew up in the golden age of magazines, working with and for legendary creatives and artists. Many designers utilize mood boards filled with research images pulled from social media. I’ve lived many of those references firsthand.” And it shows.
