Here’s a rare opportunity to own a Modern Gables Palmer
& Krisel-designed midcentury modern home in Van Nuys, CA. Rare in the fact
that there’s only 18 of these modernist homes built by Murray Straus between
1954 and 1955, and they don't come up for sale that often.
This featured home was built in 1954 and features four
bedrooms, two bathrooms in 1,622 square-feet, a two car garage and a bonus room
all on a 7,000 square-foot lot with an asking price of $550,000. The front of
the home still features its signature Krisel-lines, with side entry garage with
vertical banding, clerestories and side front door.
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| Front of home features original vertical banding |
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| Entry with unfortunate front door - an easy fix |
A sweeping front driveway leads visitors past the garage to
the front door at the side of the home. The front door is the only incongruous
element of the exterior of the home (white vinyl windows aside), looking more at home on a Tuscan villa than a midcentury
modern. Nevertheless, walking into the home one immediately enters the large,
open living and dining area overlooking the side yard patio.
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| Living Room as viewed from entry |
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| Living Room with Dining Room beyond |
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| Dining Room has lots of natural light |
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| Kitchen is open to Dining area |
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| Kitchen |
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| Kitchen and Dining area |
The living room is anchored by the signature Krisel
modernist fireplace surrounded by walls of glass. The dining room sits at the
rear corner of the home and is surrounded on two sides by glass. The dining
room leads to the galley kitchen, which receive plenty of natural light from
the clerestories that span the room. The cabinetry has been updated with white
raised panel cabinets, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.
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| Master Bedroom |
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| Master Bedroom with french doors leading to side patio |
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| Master bath - floor tile on tub surround was a poor choice; the rest of the room looks sharp |
The master bedroom is split from the secondary bedrooms, and
features vaulted ceilings, wood floors and mirrored closet doors. A pair of
French doors leads out to the side yard patio, and the master bath sits at the
rear of the home. The master bath features windows on two sides, updated
cabinetry, marble vanity with undermount sink, and a bathtub with a strange brown
floor tile surround.
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| Secondary bedroom at front of home |
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| Secondary bedroom has diminished natural light thanks to addition |
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| Secondary bedroom has access door to bonus room |
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| Guest bath has cool retro tiles and an unfortunate vanity that doesn't quite fit |
The secondary bedrooms all feature vaulted ceilings and
limited natural light. The bonus room addition abuts the rear of two of the
secondary bedrooms, and significantly diminishes the quantity of natural light
which enters the rooms. The remaining secondary bedroom is a significant
contrast as it still incorporates its original clerestories and window
configuration. The guest bath still has its original cool retro mint green tub
surround, but unfortunately the vanity and sink are something out of a big-box
discount store, and don’t quite fit the style of the home.
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| Bonus Room leads to patio off of Living Room |
The bonus room is entered from one of the secondary
bedrooms, and provides access to both the garage and side yard patio off of the
living room. The size of the room is useful, but the location, access and
impact on adjacent bedrooms is detrimental to the flow of the home. The room
could be reconfigured or removed to create a stronger home design.
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| Backayrd |
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| Side patio off of Living and Bonus Rooms |
The backyard is wide, open and grassy, faces south and contains
two medium-sized trees, enclosed by a wooden fence. There’s plenty of room for
entertaining, a small patio for barbequing, and lots of space for gardening.
This is a really neat opportunity to own a rare piece of
modernist architecture in the heart of Van Nuys. This home is open all weekend,
and is definitely going to sell fast. Check it out before its gone.
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