A pushbotton paradise - property of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney F. Brody, Holmby Hills, California

11/07/2025 04:37:00 PM

Here is a fabulous California houses: the home of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney F. Brody in Holmby Hills. In it are the kind of conveniences many of us might not expect short of the 21st Century: curtains drawn by touching a button; an indoor plant bed that sprinkles itself; lights that dim and brighten like the house lights in a theater to create soft illumination for conversation, bright lights for parties; music wafted indoors and out. In the Brody house, these comforts are as easy to come by as flicking a switch. This 'pushbutton paradise' was made to order to suit the Brody family and the way they like to live. Their house is big, high-ceilinged, and large in scale, planned for effortless, California living. It is built around an atrium, ringed with terraces for following the sun, and planted with tropical foliage. From it one has a sweeping view of the mountains and the ocean, and, at night, a broad panorama of Los Angeles.

In a special children's wing, Chris, age 8, and Susan, 5, and all their friends, can have the time of their lives. For Mr. and Mrs. Brody themselves, there is a second-story penthouse, which gives them complete privacy from the rest of the house. All in all, it is a very personal house. Its walls are lined with beautiful paintings which the Brodys have collected over the years; its furniture was designed to complement the contours of the rooms. The exterior of the Brodys' house is unassuming. Inside it substitutes decisive, straight-forward lines and easy-upkeep materials for ornate décor. Like the really livable house that it is, it fits today's philosophy of fulfilling its owners' requirements rather than impressing the neighbors.

As you enter the Brodys' house you seem to be both indoors and outdoors. You see a wide staircase that appears to hang in air; enormous glass walls that overlook an inner courtyard, and big, exotic plants. The Brodys call this courtyard their 'room with the sky for its ceiling'. Actually, it is an atrium, a centuries-old idea borrowed from the Romans. But in the Brodys' house, the atrium has every possible modern comfort. It is as private as an indoor room and as pleasant as outdoors, exactly right for the type of casual California living and entertaining which the Brodys enjoy. A waterfall, with a backdrop of glittering stones, dramatically cascades down one wall, cooling it on hot days.

On cool days and evenings, an open fireplace and hot water pipes under the black and white terrazzo floor take off the chill. The surrounding walls protect it from the wind on all four sides, making it livable year-round. As a shelter from rain or hot sun, the Brodys can draw a black-and-white striped canvas sky-shade overhead. Furniture and accessories are as comfortable and colorful as those used indoors, but in the atrium everything, even the clock and table lamps, is weatherproof. If the Brodys want to listen to music, they can have it automatically relayed from the music room inside the house. The atrium is really the hub of the Brodys' house, with all main rooms wrapped around it. By sliding back the two glass walls, it can expand the space of the living room and gallery. Since it is a particularly glamorous place to be on a star-studded night, this is a favorite spot of the Brody family and their guests.