The Neutra Nest of Jeffrey Levy-Hinte

SELLER: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte
LOCATION: 126 Mabery Road, Santa Monica, CA
PRICE: $6,995,000
SIZE: 2,959 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: Architect Richard Neutra's Sten-Frenk Residence of 1934. Los Angles Historic Cultural Monument #647. International Style masterpiece on double lot in Santa Monica Canyon with ocean views. Incredible restoration of this world-class design, including sublime bright public rooms and master with sitting room and 2 other bedrooms. Gorgeous lawns and large pool.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Ooo-wee children, Your Mama loves us some Neutra. One look at the photographs and Your Mama is ready to clean out the Dr. Cooter's bank accounts, pack our bags, and move right into this clean lined house designed by famed California architect Richard Neutra.

Now all you trendy design queens shut your bitchy little traps. Your Mama knows the design world has moved past the trend for both International and mid-century modern styles and is happily wallowing around in the glam Hollywood Regency style, but that does not mean we can't still appreciate and covet a Neutra.

Built in 1934 for actress Anna Sten, the Sten-Frenk house is currently owned by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and his wife Jeanne. Now children, we understand you may not recognize this man's name, so Your Mama is going to give you the 411. If you live anywhere near Los Angeles you already know Mr. Levy-Hinte is one of the more successful independent film producers working in Hollywood. A very short list of some of the films he has produced include the 2004 adaptation of Scott Heim's novel Mysterious Skin and 2003's Thirteen, that movie with Holly Hunter about that fucked up teenage girl who Your Mama thinks needed the stupid slapped out of her.

But it's Lisa Cholodenko (who Your Mama happens to be friendly with) and her film Laurel Canyon that brought Levy-Hinte to the Sten-Frank house. See babies, that film was largely shot on location at this house. Not long after the filming wrapped, Levy-Hinte purchased the property for around $3,00,000 and soon embarked on what has been reported to be a $4,500,000 re-build and restoration headed by the glittering architectural firm Marmol and Radziner.

The property, graced by ocean breezes and slivers of ocean views, consists of two lots at the mouth of Santa Monica canyon that are so close to the ocean you can hear the waves crashing from the bedroom windows...that is if there's not too much traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway.

The sensitive re-do and the sublime interiors have Your Mama's mind working overtime trying to imagine our dachshund bitches Linda and Beverly laid up in front of that fireplace and stretched out on the lawn in the sunshine. There's little Your Mama likes more than a row of bare windows, so all the children know we are most appreciative of the ribbon windows and their absence of window treatments makes us tingle inside.

The house was first put up for sale for in early 2006 for $8,000,000 and the price has steadily been whittled to it's current asking price of $6,995,000.

If you ask Your mama, and of course no one did, the location of this property at the mouth of Santa Monica Canyon can not be beat. But it seems buyers are turned off by the 10 story apartment building (101 Ocean Avenue) that towers over the property and keeps the house and most of the yard, including the pool, shaded until after 12 noon. Even still Your Mama is quite surprised this ridiculously cool and sexy house has had a difficult time finding a buyer, particularly in the blazing high end market in Los Angeles.

Sources: Real Estate Journal, Office for Word and Image,