Modern

Following the recent purchase of a $14 million Mullholland Drive spread, musician and budding real estate mogul Michael “Flea” Balzary—bassist and founding member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers—has officially put one of his other LA-area properties on the market. Listed for $9.8 million, the architectural, hilltop compound is tucked within the La Crescenta foothills in Los Angeles, offering incredible privacy in large part thanks to its funky, cinematic design.

The six-acre property actually has two residences. The first is a 1950s home called the Dorothy Serulnic Residence, designed by prolific Austrian-American architect Richard Neutra, a prominent modernist. Neutra built the home in 1953 for his then-secretary Dorothy Serulnic and her husband, George. Now, it acts as a stuck-in-time, 1,350-square foot, two-bedroom guest home, albeit with modern updates. You’ll also find built-in features designed by Neutra, like a sofa system with a record player, shelving systems, desks, a sliding breakfast nook and more. Walls of glass frame exquisite views of the city and mountains, while the bear valley stone fireplace looks plucked out of the ‘50s. 

The hilltop property has city and mountain views. 

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But the biggest draw for design lovers is definitely the seven-sided main residence with an interior courtyard. Los Angeles-based architect Michael Maltzan  was commissioned by the property’s former owners to build the second structure in 2009; Flea wanted to keep Maltzan’s vision, so he enlisted him to built an 875-square-foot addition in 2021.
The home welcomes plenty of natural light through double-layered, UV-protected glass walls and windows, and Maltzan tied many features, like wooden furniture and flooring, to the original Neutra-designed residence. Maltzan designed the layout in a series of triangles and polygons, which takes each person on a journey within the unique space and around an interior courtyard garden. There are several notable features, like industrial-style concrete walls and a curvilinear penny-tiled bath in the primary suite, as well as massive geometric skylights and a flat roof. Other indoor hubs include an office and a den.

A pool and open-air pavilion 

Perfect for those who love spending time outdoors (and those who love to entertain), the house has an outdoor movie pavilion with a wind screen, a catering kitchen, a 50-foot lap pool and and a redwood-clad cabin built by artist Peter Staley. 

Flea purchased the compound in 2018 for roughly $4.3 million, according to Dirt, and has since added a pool, the cabin and that Maltzan-designed addition. The out-of-this-world retreat is located 20 minutes north of Downtown LA. 
The pedigree property is listed by Sherri Rogers, Elisa Ritt, Anthony Stellini, and Asher Ehsani of Compass.
Check out more photos of the property below:

There are five bedrooms total on the property. 

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The primary bathroom features a curvilinear penny-tiled tub. 

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A bedroom 

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The Neutra-designed residence, seen above, was built in 1953. 

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The home retains several Neutra-designed built-ins, like a sofa unit and more. 

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This specific residence opens onto a grassy pavilion overlooking L.A. 

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The cabin, designed by artist Peter Staley. 

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