Last Saturday, a group of de LaBbers hopped into a passenger van (sponsored and chauffeured by Willard Ford and
Ford&Ching) and carpools to trudge up to the
Tile House in the east Hollywood Hills for
Obscura Day. Owned by octogenarian
George Ehling, the house has been lovingly tiled by hand for the past 40 years by George himself.
The house, built in 1927 and bought by George in 1967 is covered from wall to wall by intricate inlays and complex mosaic patterns. The living room (above) also features family portraits (done in tile, natch) and a grand piano for George's piano virtuoso son.
George discovered his love of creating mosaics in his 40s. He not only designs them, he also cuts many of the found materials he uses - bottles, ceramic, discarded porcelain - into the tesserae he needs for his masterpieces. George entertained our group with stories of his days as a professional wrestler in Europe before WWII, and as an actor in Hollywood, as well as a carpenter for the studios.
Miss Obscura Day? Check out more photos of the house
here and
here.
And be sure to come to this Friday's
book party for Sam Lubell's
Julius Shulman Los Angeles: The Birth of a Modern Metropolis at the
Julius Shulman Institute at Woodbury University.
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