JOHN LAUTNER   |  STEVENS HOUSE  |  1968  |  MALIBU, CALIFORNIA

Built in Malibu Colony in 1968 by the famed California architect, the design of the Stevens House was inspired by the waves that wash up on the sand. Dan Stevens interviewed many famous architects to design a 5 bedroom, 5 bath house with a pool on a 90 x 37 foot lot. All of them said it was impossible. Not Lautner. The first house Lautner built in Malibu, he designed the structure with 14 I-steel beams that support two half catenary curves that became the concrete wall and ceiling. From the outside, it resembled the ocean waves while the interior evoked a nautical boat-like ambience. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

John Lautner began his career in the 1930s as an apprentice under Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1938, he started his own practice and worked primarily on residential projects in California. He is best known for his contributions to the Googie or Atomic Age style of design - the futuristic architecture inspired by space age, jets, and car culture from the 40s through 60s. Every home he designed is #RoomsWeLove in our books. Go on a Google Image deep dive of his designs and you will be happy. The definition of California cool. 

Photos: © Julius Shulman. Source: The Getty Research Institute,
Julius Shulman Archive; “Architectural Record Houses of 1971″, 1971