Frank Gehry’s imposing new house in Santa Monica might seem to be the polar opposite of the “unfinished” look he sought for his renovation of a modest 1920s Dutch colonial, also in Santa Monica, four decades ago. The current residence was designed in collaboration with his younger son, Sam, who has been active in the firm since 2008, when Gehry entrusted him with the creation of the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London’s Hyde Park. The new house bears little resemblance to Gehry’s youthful venture, which instantly became a landmark of residential design. Yet there are a surprising number of similarities between the two.
For the renovation, in 1977, Gehry worked with Paul Lubowicki as his design partner; Lubowicki was then a young man at the beginning of his career, and the relationship between the two was similar to the one that Gehry enjoyed with his son in 2010. Sam used as a starting point the wood framing and large, crisscrossing beams in one of his dad’s models for the Serpentine. After many years of toying with designs for a new house, it was Sam’s involvement that made Frank and his wife, Berta, decide to proceed with a move to the prime 0.8-acre Santa Monica property Gehry had acquired around 2009 as an investment for their two sons. Sam considered Berta to be the client, and Gehry admits that “Sam is easier to work with than I am. I did nothing except plan with Berta how we would use the house.”
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.