‘Ethereal’ canyon hideaway for sale in CA was designed by scientists. See it
Sure, Southern California has a plethora of beautiful, modern-style houses dotting the exquisite greenery that makes up a lot of Beverly Hills, but a house that just landed on the real estate market has both: beauty and brains.
Listed for $2.395 million, the 2,824-square-foot house was designed by two scientists, one of which happened to be an autodidact. Rudi Mattoni and his partner Leona were both respected scientists, with Leona being a biologist and plant physiologist, while Rudi was a lepidopterist (think butterfly guru) who had a major interest in architecture.
“They were scientists, not architects,” listing agent Jeremy Steenblik said in an email to McClatchy News.
“They met working on the Biosatellite 2 project for NASA. The adage ‘everyone is a developer in LA’ rings true to their story. Rudi made his way through graduate school at UCLA by buying, rehabbing, and selling properties. As someone interested in design during such a pivotal era, he also befriended a few prominent local architects. For a time, Rudi purchased and lived in William S Beckett’s personal residence, a beautiful French Regency with a midcentury addition.”
Unfortunately, that house perished in the 1961 Bel-Air Fire that destroyed 484 homes.
“However, that loss produced additional architectural development opportunities. Not only did he rebuild his own home in Bel Air, but in 1963 and 1964, he developed a single family home and a condominium project with USC grads and post and beam practitioners Clinton Ternstrom and Robert Skinner, AIA,” Steenblik continued.
“Undoubtedly, the experiences of living in Beckett’s home and working with Ternstrom and Skinner informed the vocabulary Rudi later employed when he and Leona designed their own residence on Heather Rd.”
Both scientists were able to reflect their individual backgrounds into the very essence of the home. The couple “channeled their scientific precision and deep connection to the natural world into a living space that feels both grounded and ethereal,” a news release on the home says.
Features of the four-bedroom, three-bathroom residence, per the listing, include:
Natural light
Vaulted ceilings
Terraced exterior
Garden
“Multi-functional floor plan”
Studio
Loft
This is the first time the home has been on the market since 1969.
The listing is held by Modern California House.
This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 1:17 PM with the headline "‘Ethereal’ canyon hideaway for sale in CA was designed by scientists. See it."