The Krisel Connection: 1957 Palmer & Krisel Living Conditioned Home Hits the Market

Friday, June 19, 2015

1957 Palmer & Krisel Living Conditioned Home Hits the Market – Northridge, CA

The Living Conditioned Homes in Northridge, California were a hit when they debuted in the late 1950s. These homes were advertised as 'homes that are keyed to good living, providing the greatest degree of comfort, livability, and convenience.' Or as Krisel more eloquently states, Living Conditioned was ‘advertising puffery.’ Either way one can’t argue that these are some of the cooler Palmer & Krisels found in the San Fernando Valley.

This 1957 Palmer & Krisel-designed home contains four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 1,965 square feet, on a 14,400 square-foot lot with a rear-loading driveway and the coveted mid-mod butterfly roofline. There’s some bad news – the home fronts on Devonshire Street, a four-lane arterial; it sides up to an alleyway which in turn sides up to a Mexican-food restaurant; the home has been ‘updated’; and the two-car carport has been converted into two bedrooms advertise as an ‘income opportunity.’Clearly neither the current owner nor the listing agent are aware of what they have on their hands. But for those die hard Krisel fans out there, this is a neat opportunity to own a Living Conditioned home and restore some of its great features.

The home features a striking façade with H-shadow block covering the chimney as well as both walls flanking the entryway. Other than some minor window replacement, the front façade doesn’t appear to have been altered much at all over the years. Inside the home, wood laminate floors have been installed along with chunky overly ornate baseboards. The kitchen has been ‘upgraded’ with oak cabinets, granite counters and stainless steel appliances.

'Upgraded' Kitchen and Dining Room

Kitchen and Dining

There aren’t many other pictures of the interior of the home, but from what we can tell the clerestories at the rear of the property are still intact, as are the signature rear wall of glass. Unfortunately those overlook a backyard of mostly dirt, however there are several small trees on site which do help add a green element in an otherwise dusty and undervalued yard.

The one bedroom shown is fairly ornate and wallpapered, and the one bathroom shown is pretty plain, not what one expects to see in a midcentury modern home. This home has fantastic curb appeal, and there’s opportunity here to make the inside of the property match the mid-mod outside. We wish the lucky new owners the best with this one, and we can’t wait to see it become a successful rehab.