{"id":324156,"date":"2018-11-13T18:37:42","date_gmt":"2018-11-13T23:37:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/?p=324156"},"modified":"2021-12-15T07:05:55","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T12:05:55","slug":"hollywood-modern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/hollywood-modern\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Surprisingly Modern Houses of Mid-Century Hollywood Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood, some of the era\u2019s biggest stars enlisted forward-thinking architects and interior designers to create ultra-modern domiciles.
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Alan Hess, coauthor of the recently published Hollywood Modern: Houses of the Stars<\/a><\/em> (Rizzoli), attributes the artfulness of these celebrity homes to the open-minded nature of design in Southern California, whose very foundation is based on pushing boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cModern architecture often balances a love of nature with an enthusiasm for the advantages of new technology,\u201d Hess tells us. Here, the author delves into six boldly modern houses owned by mid-century Hollywood’s most famous icons.
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Bob and Dolores Hope<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Bob
Photo by Juergen Nogai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overlooking Palm Springs, the home of Bob Hope<\/a> and his wife Dolores was designed and built by famed architect John Lautner. Its unconventional structure \u2014 namely, the spaceship-like overhang that could shelter a 500-person soiree \u2014 was intended to echo the rugged landscape in which it was situated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The terrace under the far-reaching roof functioned as an outdoor living room with a monumental fireplace<\/a> and exquisite gardens throughout. \u201cThe mountain setting was what inspired the Hope house,\u201d Hess says. \u201cLautner was such a visionary architect that his houses are sometimes mistaken for UFOs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Frank Sinatra<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Outside
Photo by Steve King<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Frank Sinatra<\/a>\u2019s 1940s home in Palm Springs may seem small by today\u2019s Hollywood standards, but what the modern structure lacked in size, it made up for in clever features designed by E. Stewart Williams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen Williams designed this house for Sinatra, most celebrity homes were much more modest in size, but with luxurious amenities like the swimming pool, the built-in state-of-the-art recording equipment, the beautiful materials and, of course, the superb design that made the most of the weather and easy indoor-outdoor living<\/a>,\u201d says Hess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Lucille
Photo by Julius Shulman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fans of the ranch-style home, Lucille Ball<\/a> and Desi Arnaz enlisted Paul R. Williams<\/a> to design a modern house with a casual look that offered the familiar comforts of the country living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe natural rock walls are beautifully rustic and tie the design to the rugged mountains in the distance,\u201d Hess says.
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Gary Cooper<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Gary
Photo by Dominique Vorillon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Built as a peace offering to his wife following his extramarital affair, Gary Cooper<\/a>\u2019s sleek, elegant L.A. home by architect A. Quincy Jones takes on the appearance of a sculpture<\/a> set in an oasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hess says: \u201cJones used the broad glass walls and lofty, spacious rooms that modern design allows to put the views of trees and terrain on display.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Steve McQueen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Photo by Steve King<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Actor Steve McQueen<\/a> shared this steel and glass home with his first wife, Neile Adams<\/a>, and, after their divorce, with his second wife, actress Ali MacGraw. McQueen hired architect Hugh Kaptur, famous for his modernist desert projects, to create this private yet open home in Palm Springs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis was cutting-edge design in 1964. The stark, all-white austerity of earlier modern homes was being replaced by easy-on-the-eyes earth tones as architects realized that \u2018form follows pleasure\u2019 as certainly as \u2018form follows function,\u2019\u201d Hess says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Charlton Heston <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Living
Photo by Steve King<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Architect William Sutherland Beckett designed a secluded, sharp-lined home for Charlton Heston<\/a> and his family, which they dubbed \u201cThe Ridge\u201d for its location overlooking a watershed in Beverly Hills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decor \u2014 especially the matching Eames 670 chairs<\/a> and ottomans in the living room \u2014 was as iconic as the exterior. Hess says: \u201cSure, the lounges are beautiful forms, but above all, Charles and Ray Eames<\/a> designed for inspired functionality.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Browse Mid-Century Modern Furnishings<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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