When financier Kipp Nelson first met with Tom Kundig, Design Principal of the renowned architectural firm, Olson Kundig, he had a two-fold request for the design of his new home. First, he wanted “the indoors to flow to the deck, which flows to the pool, and then that flows out to the view” and equally important, he wanted a house capable of handling a party for 250 people. Six years later, Collywood House (a hybrid of the home’s street, Collingwood Place, and city, Hollywood) was born. With 320-degree views of Los Angeles, the 15,642 square foot home with 5 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms is set high above the Sunset Strip. One can see the Griffith Observatory on the left and the Getty Museum on the right, with the entire LA basin in between.
True to form, Olson Kundig – known for its kinetic modern designs – created a residence with impeccable flow. “You don’t know where the inside stops and the outside starts,” the architect says of the three-story glass, steel, and concrete structure. The tri-level compound is clearly designed for entertaining, with giant decks, an open floor plan, and space for large gatherings. With nearly 7,000 square feet of terraces, gardens, and pools surrounding the house, there are multiple spaces from which to enjoy the stunning views. There is even a grove of forty 125-year-old olive trees dotting the property.
Surprisingly, the scale of the rooms throughout the residence is restrained—the highest ceilings are just over 11 feet—with a number of them looking out onto an intimate courtyard or garden. Nelson engaged Olson Kundig to oversee the decorating of his home as well, and inside they relied on custom-designed furniture and lighting and large-scale contemporary artwork to seamlessly unite architecture and interiors. The home has certain tell-tale signs of Olson Kundig’s raw, organic, industrial style such as the steel louvered window shades that automatically open and close, pull chains, concrete slab walls, and the merging of the outdoors with the interior via operable window walls in the living areas, kitchen, and bedrooms. In addition to a wine cellar and a media room, there is a 15-car “auto gallery” as well as an adult version of a toy racetrack, and a Formula 1 racing simulator. Collywood House is currently on the market, with a price tag of $54,950,000.
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