Famed Marmol Radziner Architect Leo Marmol’s ‘Masterpiece’ Home Hits the Market in Venice for $5.8 Million

Award-winning modern architecture firm Marmol Radziner has dominated the Los Angeles design scene for a couple of decades now, with celebrities, architecture buffs, and real estate agents alike whispering the name in awestruck reverence.

So when the celebrated Southern California residence that founding partner Leo Marmol built for himself reaches the market, it's something of a major event—particularly when that property still bears all the hallmarks of elegance and luxury that the design legend personally approved.

The three-bedroom, three-bathroom dwelling sits in a leafy and luxurious area in Venice Beach, secreted away from prying eyes by a large fence, behind which lies a lush sanctuary unlike many other homes in the community.

Listed with Juliette Hohnen, of Douglas Elliman, the property is now on the market with an asking price of $5.79 million—reduced slightly from its original ask of $5.99 million.

But visitors will find little else about the home that has been "reduced," instead encountering a beautifully lit abode that blends modern design with natural beauty, creating an unmatched indoor-outdoor "flow."

“Architect-designed homes of this caliber rarely become available, especially ones with such personal provenance," Hohnen notes. "The craftsmanship, materials, and indoor–outdoor flow are exceptional—it’s a home that feels both deeply sophisticated and incredibly livable.”

This 2,880-square-foot home, which has been featured in both Architectural Digest and Dwell, is described as "an exceptional example of warm modernism thoughtfully integrated with lush, private outdoor spaces." 

Records indicate that the current owners bought the home in 2018 for $4.6 million. It appears that Marmol built this particular prefab home for himself in 2009, at a time when his company was focusing on, and winning awards for, its sustainable prefab designs.

As a result, the dwelling features a number of natural elements, focusing largely on different wood tones that are juxtaposed with huge glass sections that open it up to the outside world.

Glass walls, clerestory windows, and skylights illuminate an interior where every square inch is carefully curated. Walnut cabinetry and paneling, as well as Heath ceramic tile, provide for surfaces that feel elegant and modern, yet warm and organic.

The home is highlighted by its numerous convenient, cozy and artistic built-ins throughout, including desks, bookshelves, closets, seating, even a built-in bed in one of the three upstairs bedrooms.

There are numerous comfortable gathering spaces, both indoors and out, including a covered outdoor living room with a fireplace, and an upstairs covered deck situated among the treetops.

The kitchen, with its dramatic double-height ceiling and pantry, makes for a comfortable gathering space with its sizable dining peninsula, and its adjacent dining space. They open to living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, and comfortable conversation nooks.

Additional spaces include a home theater with clever built-in seating and bookcases, as well as a functional office. The owners have drawn up plans for an additional bedroom, and these are included in the sale.

Located on a 5,301-square-foot lot with verdant, mature foliage that provides both shade and privacy, the unique home is just two blocks from the upscale Abbot Kinney shopping and dining district, and only a few minutes from world-famous Venice Beach.

Since the firm's establishment in 1989, Marmol Radziner has made a special mark on Venice neighborhoods and the Los Angeles West Side in general.

Over the years the firm has expanded to open a second office in the Mission District in San Francisco and another in New York City. But has also taken on residential and commercial projects in many other part of the world.

Marmol Radziner has been recognized by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the 25 "most influential interior designers in L.A." and as one of the "10 hottest architects changing L.A. real estate."

In November 2019, the American Institute of Architects awarded the firm the top spot in their annual Top 50 Firms in Business list.

Many a celebrity are fans of the firm, including Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Tom Ford, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Flea, Bradley Cooper, and Ellen DeGeneres, all whom worked with Marmol Radziner on their private residences. Brands including Vince, Oliver Peoples, Mayfield, and James Perse have sought them out for retail projects.

The firm also worked with famed architect Tadao Ando on the Malibu beach house that Kanye West all but destroyed after it was completed.

Marmol Radziner has since teamed up with the property's most recent buyer, Steven "Bo" Belmont, who has vowed to carry out a complete restoration of the property, which West gutted in a bid to turn it into a modernist bomb shelter.

In fact, Marmol Radziner is also known for its restoration work, having worked on carefully overhauling buildings by architectural legends including Richard Neutra; Buff, Straub, and Hensman; Albert Frey, Rudolph Schindler; A. Quincy Jones; John Lautner; and Cliff May.

Perhaps the firm's most prominent restoration work would be the only Case Study home ever created by iconic architect Richard Neutra. The home is known as the Bailey House and is located in Pacific Palisades.

Having passed through the hands of the co-creator of "The Simpsons" and a famous fashion designer, the three-bedroom, two-bath midcentury modern dwelling recently sold for $5.3 million.

All those accolades, accomplishments, and endorsements can't help but polish the pedigree of a custom home, made by and for one of the iconic company's founders. While you can't put an actual price on them, the bragging rights alone are invaluable.