Architecture Wednesday: The Natzler Residence

This home, in Upper Nichols Canyon in the Hollywood Hills, tucked at the end of a long private drive, is on the market for the first time in 80 years. Built in 1937 the home served as both sanctuary and working studio for master ceramic artists Gertrud and Otto Natzler, who purchased the property in 1945 and it remains a testament to their creative lives.

Drawn to the site for its privacy, natural light, and detached guest house—which they envisioned as a studio—the Natzlers transformed the property into a center of artistic and musical life.

In sun-filled rooms overlooking treetops and quiet canyons, Gertrud threw delicate ceramic forms on the wheel while Otto developed groundbreaking glazes; together they hosted intimate chamber-music evenings and gathered a circle of artists, musicians, and thinkers to a serene, natural, space removed from the pace of the city .

The original house remains intimate and unconventional—a sequence of cozy, character-rich rooms including a living room with fireplace, dining room, and a kitchen with ceramic tiles, many glazed by Otto Natzler. The main residence includes two bedrooms and two and one-half baths; the second bedroom later became Otto’s office following completion of a 1988 addition.

Their hillside studio eventually proved challenging for photographing ceramics with the precision their archive demanded so in 1988, Otto commissioned a striking two-story addition inspired by his Austrian roots—a nod to an Alpine chalet. Designed for photographer Gail Reynolds Natzler, Otto’s second wife after Gertrud’s passing in 1971, the addition introduced a dedicated studio and darkroom and above that a large primary suite with laundry, bath, vaulted ceilings, and walls of windows; both levels open to wraparound balconies with sweeping canyon views. The original detached Natzler ceramic studio suite, situated above the two-car garage, is preserved in remarkable condition with its own kitchen, small bedroom, and bath.

The property directly abuts the Briar Summit Open Space Reserve, ensuring lasting privacy and a strong connection to the surrounding landscape and for the first time since 1945 it can be yours for $2.5M and you can test your own creativity.

As always click to emBIGGERate…

The Spaces