The story
- Pool
Designed in 1962 by architect Robert Skinner, 400 Castle Place is unlike anything else in Trousdale. This rare two-story residence underwent a painstaking transformation, taken down beyond the studs and virtually everything rebuilt with extraordinary precision and attention to detail. It was conceived and built as a forever home.Hand selected koa, terrazzo and travertine run throughout the house. A kaleidoscope style skylight throws colored light across the bedroom hallway and staircase, while a monumental island anchors the kitchen. Skinner's original architecture remains at the core: soaring volumes, walls of glass and a constant connection between the interiors and landscape. A dramatic two-story living room opens to the gardens, while a sunken conversation pit and multiple seating spaces give the house intimacy despite its scale. Five en suite bedrooms are joined by a media room, office, gym, chef's kitchen and laundry. Guest bathrooms have individual skylights, and a downstairs bedroom opens to its own outdoor sitting area and water feature. The primary suite features two custom bathrooms and two oversized custom closets, each filled with natural light and beautifully crafted down to the smallest detail. Surrounded by dense tropical landscaping, the privacy and greenery are so complete that at times it feels more like living in the jungle than Beverly Hills.Outside, mature landscaping surrounds the house and creates tremendous privacy. The pool features a custom sunburst mosaic, Baja shelf and spa. Five distinct seating areas surround the pool and terraces, including one in front of an outdoor fireplace, with a separate outdoor kitchen for entertaining.The property continues up the hillside, where wood steps climb through the lush landscape. At the top, another space reveals itself: a secluded sitting area, sauna and cold plunge hidden above the house. You don't see it from below. You discover it.In a city increasingly filled with houses stripped of color and personality, Castle Place went the other way. The midcentury spirit remains intact, but the house feels completely relevant today: warm, sophisticated, playful and incredibly livable.For all the scale and drama, this still feels unmistakably like a home. 400 Castle Place combines significant architecture, extraordinary privacy and a level of design and craftsmanship nearly impossible to replicate today.
