A modernist villa hits the market in Beverly Hills

Designed by Rex Lotery in 1959, it has six bedrooms and the obligatory pool

This 1959 villa in Beverly Hills follows a typical Californian architectural vernacular. Yet ‘typical’ doesn’t mean ‘common’. It’s rare to see such a pristine modernist masterpiece on the market, but Florence House is expertly restored down to its terrazzo floor, elegantly centred on a reflecting pool and, most importantly, available.

The two-level six-bedroom property has an international provenance, built by London-born architect Rex Lotery for Parisian actress Corinne Calvet and her husband Gerard Florence – hence the name. Equipped with a 2021 extention, it covers 817 square metres on a 2,000-square-metre plot. Water channels, lush greenery and palms surround it on all sides. Lotery, who gained acclaim for designing Elvis Presley’s villa in the Trousdale Estates, kept the look simple and classic, indoors and out.

Inside, it benefits from banks of glazing and clerestory windows to the three-metre ceilings, separated by elegant wood trim. There are fireplaces in the living room and library. Four of the bedrooms have dressing rooms and en suite bathrooms with travertine fittings. True to its location, it has a large screening room below ground.

The architect Tim Campbell undertook the four-year restoration, renovation and expansion, doubling the living area.

The home is currently available through Architecture de Collection.

Photography: © Architecture de Collection
Photography: © Architecture de Collection
Photography: © Architecture de Collection
Photography: © Architecture de Collection

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