Backlash against beloved boxes
Re “L.A. loves modern box homes,” Nov. 1
Ican only assume that the people hyping these massive, box-style houses proliferating around Los Angeles grew up in a small trailer. I grew up in a huge house, and now it’s the last thing I want to own.
It is such a shame that all the middlemen who “sell the sizzle” have convinced people that a house’s primary purpose is not to be a home, but rather an “appreciable asset” whose value must be maximized at all costs.
Not long ago, smart people enjoyed our Mediterranean climate by living in cool, modern homes that blurred the lines between indoors and outdoors. Now people enjoy our weather by sitting in their huge, lotcovering McMansions and gazing out the window.
Some defend these horrific boxes as “bespoke,” but all they indicate is a complete lack of consideration for others, especially their neighbors and their children’s future. Any time you build anything and it seems out of place, you have made a huge architectural mistake.
J. Marvin Campbell
Culver City
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L.A. loves these modern box houses, and nature does too.
A cliched selling photo for these houses is the wall of glass doors that slide completely open. This exposes the expansive living room and massive openplan kitchens with miles of marble and granite.
Looks great, but the first time you open that wall for your dinner guests, you will have to make room for extra seating.
Every flying, crawling, wiggling, slithering and walking creature will invite themselves inside and join your dinner guests. Nothing says elegance like swatting flies over your dinner plate.
You will then promptly close those massive glass doors and accept the reality of nature while speed-dialing your real estate broker.
Rodney Kemerer
Beverly Hills
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I wish you wouldn’t tell Angelenos what home styles are highly popular in L.A. The locals I know think modern box-style homes are ugly and soulless. So they’re not highly popular, but rather highly unpopular in Los Angeles.
Developers build boxlike structures because they don’t want to spend the time (and money) designing homes with more creativity and style. So Angelenos don’t have a choice, because the market is lead by the marketeer.
Older homes are more sought-after because they have style and charm. Having more space is a good thing, but not at the expense of giving up pleasing aesthetics.
Jane Demian Los Angeles