Legendary architect, John Lautner built this geometrically complex, museum-quality icon with spatial drama yet without sacrificing sanctuary for its occupants. He always stated his primary objective was the continual search to answer basic human needs, emotional as well as physical, in the shelter.
Project Name: Wolff House Hedges Place
Architect Name: Kristin Kilmer Design
Kristin Kilmer has always followed this philosophy herself, believing that our outer world is a direct reflection of our inner world. If one’s home environment is in chaos, one cannot live peacefully. The interiors for her client were designed in the spirit of John Lautner’s paradoxical vision of juxtaposing nature with sharp architectural lines.
Throughout the house, Kristin keeps the integrity of the design by playing with light and scale and with contrasting textures and varied shapes like the house itself. While Kristin often brings a lot of color into a room, it was clear that for this particular project, a carefully muted natural palette was needed to complement the acre of stone quarried in San Gabriel Mountains.
The foundation is secured by piles that reach 45 feet down into the bed-rock—according to a geologist report, all of Lautner’s original angles have remained intact as the house hasn’t shifted in the 56 years since it was built. Kristin also tributes Lautner’s initial concept by incorporating organic and sculptural forms with natural materials such as cork fabric.
She paid homage to Lautner’s spiral, cantilevered staircase by “upcycling” a vintage, curvilinear sofa with eco-wool and adding a cantilevered bookcase. All artwork was selected from local artists to support and recycle into the local community. Among her favorites is Miguel Osuna’s LA freeway painting Despeque above the dining table as it further reinforces this city’s paradoxical spirit. Its subtle hues and softness almost fool the eye as if the context was a natural landscape.
Kristin Kilmer
Kristin Kilmer is the Interior Design Principal/ Business owner of a full-service, sustainable design firm with over 20 years of experience in custom residential and commercial projects. Growing up as the daughter of a Hungarian immigrant contractor, Kristin has always had a passion for architecture, design and the construction process. She honed her skills at the Istituto Europeo di Design, an Italian design school with a branch in Spain because of her connection with the European sensibility and aesthetic.
Kristin is distinguished as the only designer to have designed a home for the prestigious TED conference: An award-winning prefab, modular Livinghome, She is also the Interior Designer of many architecturally significant homes in the Los Angeles area, including those of renowned architects R.M. Schindler, John Lautner and Ray Kappe. Through tremendous innovation, dwelling and nature harmoniously co-exist within these historical landmarks, marking the beginning of the sustainable era. Renowned photographer Julius Shulman said it best of this period, “We’ve always had green – those of us concerned about the environment…That’s all green means: You are the environment.” So, in honor of these architects and their respect for the environment, Kristin combines their theories and practices with the most current, unique materials and her sustainable luxury approach to design healthy, evocative and functional environments. Kristin Kilmer demonstrates that sustainable design can be luxurious with countless options, yet still apply the fundamental green values of energy efficiency, renewable resources, (recycled) organic materials and non-toxic finishes.
From full design work from architectural design drawings to decoration and custom furniture design, Kristin covers all aspects of designing the holistic home and office. Non-toxic finishes and furniture, sustainable materials, energy efficiency, low or no VOC paint, electromagnetic frequency reduction, air and water filtration and mold remediation are just a few of the ways in which her firm accomplishes this.
John Lautner has always been one of her heroes because of his genius way of juxtaposing nature within architectural design because it has such an impact on mental and physical health. Health truly defines form.
