Smart, well-researched, and surprisingly readable. Richard Neutra’s Lovell Health House in Los Angeles is a sleek, steel-framed home clinging to the hillside. How did this even get built in the 1920s? Dimendberg’s book has the answers. It’s like a behind-the-scenes documentary in print, showing how Neutra pulled off this radical design, from the early sketches to the challenges of construction. It features essays, old magazine clippings, Neutra’s own notes, even a timeline of how the house went from wild idea to modernist icon. There’s a fun irony in how something meant to be ultra-functional (a "health house" for clean living) became a kind of celebrity, endlessly photographed and written about.

If you’re into architecture, especially modernism or L.A.’s design history, this is a must-read. If you’re just casually interested, it’s still a cool look at how a single building can change the way people think about homes. Either way, it’s way more engaging than your typical coffee-table book.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a fascinating book about an architect who I had not heard of -- he had worked with Bauhaus and in Chicago before moving to LA. This book is comprised of a series of essays about his work, and background on the design and construction of the Lovell Health House and what has become of it since. There are beautiful photographs throughout and I loved reading about how architects balance function and form in their designs as evidenced here. It was considered an international modernist style residence and was truly ahead of its time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Getty Publications for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.