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Inside Rock Legend Flea's $8,800,000 Hilltop Compound

Today Architectural Digest takes you to La Crescenta, California to tour a 5.7 acre hilltop compound owned by legendary Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, currently on the market for $8.8M.

Released on 11/03/2022

Transcript

[chill pulsating music]

[Anthony] Welcome to 3947 Markridge Road

located in La Crescenta, California.

This home is currently owned by Flea

from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

This distinct compound, situated on 5.7 acres,

consists of three architectural structures,

including this seven-sided structure

with interior courtyard by Michael Maltzan,

a unique wood cabin,

and the original structure built by Richard Neutra,

complete with custom built-ins.

This property features five bedrooms, five bathrooms,

a lap pool and a movie pavilion.

What's great about this property

is that one its a modern structure,

and the other is a mid-century,

so you get the best of both worlds.

And it's currently on the market for $8.8 million.

So we're currently standing

in the living room of the Maltzan,

and that was built in 2009,

with an addition in 2020 by the current owner, Flea.

This modern structure is 3,900 square feet,

featuring two bedrooms and three baths.

The structure is in a shape of a heptagon,

featuring an interior courtyard.

There's nothing you have to say about the views here.

Once you walk in the door,

your eye line immediately goes to the canyon views.

You can access the courtyard right off of the living room.

What I like most about the courtyard

is the solitude that's out here.

You come out here,

you have your morning coffee or your morning tea,

five-minute meditation and get your day started.

This particular room what I really love is this window.

It's almost like a painting.

Some of the details that stand out to me are the built-ins,

especially the fact that they fit right into

all the angles that are created here.

I think that the size is, being a dining area,

I think this is such a great place to work from.

Pop your laptop here.

You're looking at these explosive views.

It's just a real special room.

Why don't you guys follow me this way?

We're gonna take a look at the kitchen.

What I really like about the kitchen is its simplicity.

You have these Caesarstone countertops,

super simple modern finishes.

This slate blue,

it seems to be a theme throughout the house.

When we go into the primary suite,

you'll notice it in the bathroom.

And again, you have this beautiful natural light coming in

from the courtyard.

Some of the things I like most about this space

is the windows.

I mean, the windows throughout the house are spectacular,

breathtaking mountaintop views.

So here we are with the Mah Jong sofa

that Flea custom built for this room.

And being that I know that Flea is a huge Laker fan,

I can only imagine how many games were watched on this TV.

You know what I also love about each room in the house

is the simplicity.

Some of the details you'd miss

are some of the custom light finishes

that were put in here.

They're so simple,

but specially designed and unique to this home.

One of the cool features of the house

is that there's really no doors,

except for in the primary suite.

The door features in this room are quite unique.

You have these harsh angles

that also feature this tucked in pocket door

that closes off the primary suite.

This is truly a rock star's bathroom.

The bathroom really ties in

with the geometric style of the house.

If you notice, the round tub,

the round bathroom and shower,

you have these round skylights.

One of the unique features of the bathroom

is the Japanese soaking tub.

This is not a tub that you see in most homes.

I know that this is one of the features

that Flea really loved most about the house.

So the main structure

is a curvilinear penny tiled centerpiece.

You're here taking a shower.

You have the mirrors looking into your main bedroom.

So you definitely have to be comfortable with yourself

to be taking a shower here.

So here we are in the addition

that Flea had commissioned Maltzan

to build for him in 2018.

It's subterranean, with these walls of concrete.

So you come down this spiral staircase,

and you walk into this gallery-type landing area.

My favorite feature of the house is this skylight.

So where we are right now is

we're in the driveway walkway of the house.

So literally, when you have guests coming in,

they're walking over this skylight.

So what's really cool about this room

is that it's inspired by the Bruce Wayne/Batman feel.

Flea was gonna have this room for his guests,

family, friends to come,

but I think when he saw what was here,

he was compelled to make this his bedroom.

'Cause you have this beautiful waterfall-type deck

that takes you out to these huge views of the canyons.

As you approach the house, on the walkway,

you can't help but notice the skylight that's coming up

from the subterranean bedroom that was added by Flea.

Then you have this beautiful mirrored glass skylight atrium

that is your primary entrance.

Another really special piece here at the residence

is this piece of art.

It's a God's eye.

It's by artist Jessica Stockholder.

It's almost like a beacon when you're driving up Markridge.

You can't help but notice it.

So here we are at the original structure

built by Richard Neutra in 1953.

Dorothy Serulnic and her husband commissioned Neutra

to build this structure.

During the process,

Dorothy and Richard became very good friends,

and later on, Dorothy became Richard's secretary.

Richard Neutra is known for his mid-century modern style.

Neutra was known for placing homes

specifically within a landscape,

which this home features so well.

So here we are in the living room, dining,

open concept room.

When Flea purchased the house,

the Maltzan was basically his primary residence,

and the Neutra really worked well for him as a flex space,

a space that he can have guests come over, family,

entertain, recording music.

So some of the great features in the house

that are here from Richard Neutra

is the Bear Valley stone fireplace.

And then you cruise over to this area,

you have your custom builtin record player

with custom builtin Neutra shelves

and a speaker system above,

and this beautiful Neutra builtin sofa.

What's most unique about Neutra's kitchen

is the simplicity to his designs.

A lot of the original cabinetry that's still here

is just amazing that it's been restored to this level.

When Flea purchased the house,

the kitchen was a little bit in disarray,

so this is the room that he added some modern appliances.

You can see on the sink and the stove

and this new Formica countertop,

all in line with Richard's original design.

Over her we have this breakfast nook that's really cool,

has this custom Neutra sliding table

that you can tuck away for space

just because of the minimalistic style of the architecture.

So here we are in the office of the Neutra,

divided by the fireplace.

You have this custom builtin banquette lounge area

with another desk,

with these beautiful custom bookshelves

that have this spectacular corner view,

which I really like this feature.

The walls of glass corner is really another highlight

of Richard Neutra's.

Flea commissioned Peter Staley from Mind Tree Arts

to build this cabin.

Flea wanted to have a tree house on the property

with extra space for friends and family to come stay.

Let's take a look inside.

So here we are in the one-bedroom cabin

that's secluded from the other main structures.

Really gives you a sense of privacy,

also a great place for relaxation.

My favorite feature of the cabin is this outdoor shower

that really ties into the theme of nature.

Here we are at one of, I think,

Flea's favorite features at the property.

This is a 50-foot salt water pool by Johnston and Vidal.

What's great about this pavilion is it's super private here.

You can have loud events.

You can watch a movie in surround sound

with your drop down screen and your projector.

There's a catering kitchen.

This is your all-out pool party zone.

Thank you for joining me on this tour

of 3947 Markridge Road.

This property features 5.7 acres on a private hilltop.

This property features three structures,

one modern structure by Michael Maltzan,

another mid-century structure by Richard Neutra,

and a cabin by Peter Staley.

You've also got this 50-foot pool, entertainment pavilion,

and these amazing beautiful views.

List price is $8.8 million.

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