Real Estate Industry News

A series of striking modern homes under construction in Los Angeles is among the projects of a South African architecture firm that has made an impact on six continents with forward-looking buildings and luxury homes. Now, the first of the SAOTA-designed houses in the city is going on the market, a five-bedroom, nine bath contemporary home measuring over 20,000 square feet. It is listed for $43,900,000.

“This house is set on a promontory with unparalleled 300-degree city skyline views,” said listing broker Jason Oppenheim, president of The Oppenheim Group, located on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.

“It is the first house SAOTA designed and built from the ground up in Los Angeles, and it is the largest home ever built on Sunset Strip. The 20,000 square foot living space does not include the garage, terraces or gardens.”

When asked to compare the house to other buildings, Oppenheim said, “It’s like the SLS Hotel,” referring to the luxury hotels located in Miami and Beverly Hills.

As befits its Southern California location, the house is designed to integrate inside and outside via a series of sliding glass doors operated with smart house technology from a cell phone. The outside seating and dining areas are oriented around a 175-foot linear pool that flows into a waterfall cascading into an atrium garden.

A 15-foot outdoor television rises from the ground with horizontal and vertical rotation, visible from every room in the house. Special spaces include an enormous entertainer’s rooftop deck, a state-of-the-art home theater, a curated wine cellar, and a spa retreat outfitted with a wet and dry sauna, cold and hot water plunge pools, and massage therapy stations. A glass elevator carries passengers between levels, and the new construction includes unrivaled security and audio/video integration.

Mary Ta of MASS Beverly, the Los Angeles luxury home showroom founded in 2014, executed the interior design. It features more than 32,000 feet of limestone in the floors and walls. Furnishings are contemporary and low-slung; nothing competes with the spectacular views.

8408 Hillside Avenue is not only large, luxurious and private, it is also move-in ready. To take possession, new homeowners need little more than their cell phones. Plus, of course, the nearly $44 million purchase price.