Just in: R.M. Schindler Custom Desk

After constructing the Kings Road House in West Hollywood using redwood and concrete in 1922, Viennese architect Rudolph M. Schindler (1887-1953) continued experimenting with forms and materials throughout Los Angeles, punctuating the hillside neighborhoods with modern design throughout the first half of the century. Designed by Schindler for the Armon House in Los Angeles’ Mount Washington neighborhood, the desk, like the house, is constructed of sanded pine plywood. The single-family dwelling was built towards the tail end of Schindler’s robust career when his architectural style had achieved continuity through exposed wood frames and intricate geometrical designs. Utilitarian and spacious, this desk foreshadows commercial models that have become commonplace in the American home.

– Paul Des Marais, Contributing Writer

Rudolph M. Schindler
Desk
Custom
designed for the Armon House 1946
Estimate $30,000 – 50,000
To be offered in the May 6, 2012 Modern Art & Design Auction 

Sheine, Judith. “The Architecture of R.M. Schindler King of the Hills.” Artforum.com. Art Forum, May 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2012.

The Van Dekker House by R. M. Schindler

A couple weeks ago a whole slew of LAMA staff took a trip one Saturday morning to visit one of the largest homes designed by Schindler. The Van Dekker house is located in Woodland Hills and was built in the 1930s-40s for a Hollywood actor and his family. The seven bedroom, four bathroom house was in disrepair, however it has never been altered or repaired, which means all the paint, wood, and tile are original. Walking into the living room was breath-taking. The sloping ceilings and angular detailing created a space very atypical of Schindler’s flat-roofed, ordered structures. I particularly enjoyed the use of copper as a detail element on the outside and inside of the house. There was also an original hexagonal tub in one of the bathrooms. Check out the photos:

View of living room from second floor

View of second floor from living room

Outside view

Hexagonal Bathtub