First crafted by John Lautner in the mid-20th century, Silvertop is an iconic modernist home brought back to life. With the support of interiors firm Jamie Bush + Co, Bestor Architecture renovates the house according to its original design while lending the home a sense of contemporary foresight.
Set on a hillside in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, Silvertop overlooks a stretch of open space and greenery. The existing home brought seven years of collaboration between Lautner and his client Ken Reiner to a successful end. The result, with its arched concrete roof and glass walls, is as vital to West Coast design history as Fallingwater – crafted by the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright – is to the history of the East Coast. “This project was super well documented and that archive of all those drawings and documentation is at the Getty, so when we first started [the renovation], we were able to kind of create our own document of intentions,” says Barbara Bestor, principal at Bestor Architecture. The design brief involved restoring the systems put forward by Lautner and adding 21st-century technologies.
From the top of the driveway, a carport and ramp lead to a home brought to life. Immediately inside, there are two bedrooms and, further on, a kitchen and outdoor terrarium. Beyond lies a large living room with custom banquette seating. “There were a lot of functional requirements that this home had to meet. In a way, that’s preserving the integrity of the architecture but also creating a very liveable space for a family of four,” explains Jamie Bush, founder of Jamie Bush + Co. The interior design creates three clear zones within the central living space: the kitchen, the lounge and the dining area. While floating shelves define the kitchen, a tambour storage system hides the television in the lounge and bench seating draws diners close to a framed view. “These three distinct areas were about attaching elements to the existing architecture,” says Bush. “That gave a foundation for the programmatic separation of the spaces.”
Silvertop’s dramatic exterior consists of a concrete shell with glass walls, supported by four large concrete pillars. “Some of the futuristic systems in this house include, of course, the thin shell, concrete roof, but also the first infinity pool, and in the primary bedroom there’s a great retractable skylight,” says Bestor. In the bathroom, a 10-tonne piece of glass allows the space to be opened to the patio, while in the kitchen, retractable wood cabinetry presents a clean visual that belies enhanced functionality. The home brought to life features timber elements, complemented by stainless steel, soapstone and terrazzo. The latter material is used to create geometric patterns flowing from indoor to outdoor spaces.
A respectful continuation of a bold Los Angeles house, Silvertop is a home brought to life and readied for the future. While heroing systems first introduced by Lautner, Bestor Architecture and Jamie Bush + Co make the changes necessary to retain the dwelling’s spirit of innovation.
00:00 – Introduction to the Mid-Century Masterpiece Home
01:02 – Reimagining from the Archives
01:53 – A Walkthrough of the home
02:47 – The Interior Design and Organisation
04:44 – Additional Materials
05:24 – Futuristic Systems
06:00 – Favourite Areas
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Photography by Tim Street Porter.
Architecture by Bestor Architecture.
Interior design by Jamie Bush + Co.
General contracting by Nate Wasik.
Landscape design by Studio MLA.
Filmed and edited by O&Co. Homes.
Production by The Local Production.
The Local Project acknowledges the traditional territories and homelands of the Indigenous peoples in the United States. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our respective countries and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.
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