A walk-through of the luxury Stradella House, made complete by an LA backdrop
A stunning modern home, nestled in the arching hillside of Bel Air, offers expansive views of Century City, Downtown LA, the Hollywood Reservoir, and the Pacific Ocean. Completed by design-build firm, HM DG INC., the home prioritizes modern, sustainable living through its extensive use of Kebony wood. This global leader in the production of sustainably modified wood provides the bespoke luxury home with a striking aesthetic, befitting of its unique location.
The 7500 square-foot, five-bedroom home sits on a 2.5-acre lot in a tucked-away neighborhood of exclusive homes. It was designed by HM DG Principal, Hassan Majd, whose firm also built the residence, which recently sold for nearly $12 million.
The striking exterior of the two-story home is covered on the first level with sand-colored stucco and on the second, Kebony wood. The specialist timber requires zero maintenance, and ages from an initial golden color, to a silver-grey over time.
Kebony wood was selected for its eco-friendly credentials and durable nature, which will stand strong against the extremes of LA’s climate. A Norwegian company, Kebony uses a patented dual modification process to transform sustainably sourced softwoods with hardwood-like properties such as dimensional stability, without compromising on appearance.
The company is renowned as one of the world’s most exciting technology companies, producing the most sustainable and long-lasting alternative to hardwood globally and helping the world reduce its CO2 emissions.
The Kebony technology permanently transforms sustainable softwoods such as pine into dually modified wood – with features that are comparable, and in some cases superior, to those of precious tropical hardwoods.
The company’s patent-protected production processes yield products that deliver major improvements in durability and dimensional stability, and at the same time, remain naturally beautiful.
Inside, the home’s entrance rises to a double-high volume, topped by an inverted pyramid ceiling. It reveals an expansive glass wall that opens to the pool and patio and a spectacular Los Angeles vista. Automated pocket doors completely disappear into the walls, which is perfect for the Southern California indoor-outdoor lifestyle.
The formal living area includes a fireplace, and just beyond that, two bedrooms can be found. The color palette throughout the home emphasizes warm, organic earth tones, with honed limestone floors on the first level and white oak on the second.
A staircase leads from the main entry to the second level. There, in the center, under the inverted pyramid ceiling, the area is open to the main level below, giving the space a particularly intimate feeling. This upper level, which has its own access to patios for indoor-outdoor living, includes an informal room, the master suite, and two additional bedrooms.
The master bedroom, which juts out above the patio, is breathtaking. The master bath is appointed with dark charcoal grey marble with a leather finish, and the glass enclosure is suspended in the mid-air with a view of the Hollywood Hills, Century City and beyond.
Hassan Majd, Principal at HM DG INC, said that the flair is in the finishing details. “In the kitchen and informal living space, the casework and paneling are all the same woodwork. That ties the house together and provides an Alvar Aalto (Finnish architect) sensibility. I love the way the master bedroom enjoys the best views of the property, with an unobstructed view of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills.”
Nina Landbø, International Sales Manager at Kebony, added: “It is brilliant to see Kebony in action within this impressive Bel Air home, which uses Kebony to create the sleek look of modernity. The warm, earthy tones of the home are complemented by Kebony, and the surrounding hillside views make for a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.”