March Recap > Echo Park Home Tour

On March 24th, de LaB hosted its first-ever home tour, in the highly walkable, dense neighborhood of Echo Park. Dubbed S, M, L, XL (shout out to Rem Koolhaas - what up, dog?) we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day to tour four incredible homes in the neighborhood, all within walking and biking distance of each other.

No shoes allowed. 

The homes were chosen not just for proximity, but also to highlight new design for urban infill, and each of the homes underscored four different models for sustainable yet stylish living.

Photo by Elizabeth Daniels/Curbed LA

The smallest of the homes was designed by John Oddo at Good Idea Studio, and clocked in at just 495 square feet. Despite its jewel-box size, the house manages to maximize space, sun and outdoor living. Our medium-sized home was designed by architect Simon Storey of Anonymous Architects. Simon managed to accomplish a pretty major feat - he packed a nearly 1,000 square foot home onto a 780 square foot lot, thanks to smart design and a vertical orientation. He even was able to include a roof garden and small patio in back.

Photos by Elizabeth Daniels/Curbed LA

Just on the other side of Sunset on Echo Park Blvd was our "large" home, a nearly 1,600 square foot townhouse duplex, known as Dick + Jane by brothers Kevin and Harde Wronske of Heyday Partnership. And last but not least was our "XL" home, the first Sunia Home by real estate developer and designer Jerome Pelayo. The 2,000 square foot home features a plethora of green amenities including solar panels, a greywater harvesting system, a wood pellet stove for heating and bamboo flooring.

Post-tour, we gathered for drinks at new neighborhood fave, Red Hill. Thanks to Jason Michaud and the crew there for their hospitality and generosity. We couldn't have had a more gracious host when the hungry hordes descended.

And thanks to all of our docents - we could not have done it without you! You're all awesome (and according to Curbed LA, the best-looking docents in town, to boot)!

For more great photos of the homes, check out Curbed LA's tour here, here and here.

September 29 > Neutra VDL Studio and Residences Lecture and Reception

Join de LaB on September 29th for a special tour of the Richard Neutra VDL Studio and Residences in Silver Lake. The evening will include a brief lecture by Leo Marmol, FAIA, of Marmol Radziner on the current restoration process, followed by a reception on the grounds. Join us for the whole evening, or just the reception!

A Little Bit of History...

The VDL Studio and Residences were designed by Richard and Dione Neutra for a 4,200 sq. ft. lot, overlooking the Central City Reservoir of Silver Lake. Built in three waves between 1932 and 1966, the compound remains a seminal example of modern urban design, featuring new building materials, specially-designed built-in furniture, and innovative climate-sensitive elements, including cooling rooftop reflection pools and automated sun louvers.

In 1990, Dione Neutra bequeathed the compound to the Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design, whose faculty and students preserve and maintain the property, using it as an educational and community resource. In fact, the VDL compound is the only Neutra residence accessible to the community at large.

Recently, the CED launched a $1 million fundraising campaign for repairs and on-going maintenance to the house. Marmol Radziner, known for its meticulous restoration of the Neutra-designed Kaufman House in Palm Springs, was selected to oversee the compound's repair and restoration. Leo Marmol will share his insights on the restoration of the historic site and will give an overview of the work that is currently under way. Since de LaB helped finance the renovation with a fundraiser in 2008, raising $3000 in a single evening, we're thrilled to head back and check in on the progress.

Neutra VDL Studio and Residences Lecture and Reception

Thursday, September 29

7:00 pm, Lecture and Tour ($20) | 8:00 pm, Reception ($10)

2300 Silverlake Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90039

Buy your tickets

Note that space is limited for the lecture and tour portion of the evening, so we recommend that you purchase your tickets early. All proceeds go to the VDL Fund for Preservation, Maintenance and Stewardship.

View Larger Map

{Photo: David Hartwell.}

Save the Date! Sept de LaB> Park[ing] Day LA Sept 18th

We are teaming up with our friends at Curbed LA and Greenmeme for Park[ing] Day LA! Come join us as we work together to transform a parking space located in front of LOCAL restaurant into a sustainably designed pocket-park.

Come by, enjoy a lemonade, and enjoy the fruits of our labor. More details on our future pocket-park and what you can do to help to come.



in the meantime, here's more on Park[ing] Day:

Too often, when people think of Los Angeles they envision a maze of asphalt, smog and traffic congestion. The automobile reigns supreme and as a result one’s ability to navigate through the City becomes compromised with the burden of too many vehicles clogging the road. Sidewalks have been narrowed and opportunities for open space, parks, civic plazas and public places have been sequestered into the hills, which unfortunately are often inaccessible to anyone without an automobile. Despite being home to one of the largest urban parks in North America (Griffith Park), Los Angeles significantly lacks adequate & accessible open space, urban parks, plazas and civic centers.

In 2005, the Rebar group, a small group out of San Francisco, opened eyes worldwide by transforming a metered parking spot into a park-for-a-day in an effort to make a public comment on the lack of quality open space in American cities. Their goal was to reprogram the urban surface by reclaiming streets for people to rest, relax and play and to:

• Promote a critical dialogue among artists, designers, activists, citizens, corporations, and government regarding the need for urban open space and they way in which streets are currently used.

• Energize civic life by questioning basic assumptions about urban space while offering provocative and meaningful alternatives.

• Connect artists, designers, and activists with ways to permanently reclaim the street for people.