When a pair of environmentalists set out to build their home in 1969, they weren’t just thinking about their needs. Leona and Rudi Mattoni considered the ecosystem of their sloping Beverly Hills lot — the communities of insects, the tangles of greenery and the movement of the sun across the land.
The holistic scope came naturally to the couple: Rudi was a lepidopterist, or a butterfly scientist, and Leona was a biologist and bacteriologist. The pair focused on habitat restoration for butterflies and moths, and they chafed at the idea of harming the very systems they worked to rebuild.
Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” had come out roughly seven years earlier, but anxieties about human-triggered climate change remained nascent. Thoughts about building and designing sustainably were tender shoots, destined to grow in the 1970s and 80s.
“They were seeing the changes in the natural world that I think the rest of us are finally coming to grips with,” said Jeremy Steenblik, an agent with brokerage Modern California House. “That really impacted some of the decisions they made with the house.” Today, the house at 9620 Heather Road is listed for about $2.4 million.
The Mattonis developed a number of homes around the region, sometimes working with midcentury architect Robert Skinner, so sketching the design for a three-story residence came naturally to the couple. Clad in a cedar shingle that helps it recede into the surroundings, the 2,824-square-foot project relied on passive solar design and cross ventilation for heating and cooling.
Inside, the couple “considered every small detail,” Steenblik said. “Whether it’s the visual rhythm of the post-and-beam layout or the way that the built-ins are mirrored and sculptural, [that attention] is everywhere you look.”
Thanks to an angular shed roofline and bands of clerestory windows, daylight filters into the vaulted rooms, each of which boasts a door for immediate outdoor access. With a study tucked into the ground floor, an open second floor living space offers easy movement between kitchen, dining and craft areas, along with two bedrooms. A studio and lofted sleeping space rest on the third floor, opening directly to a balcony with views of Coldwater Canyon.
The exterior boasts the same consideration. A tiered garden remains thick with pollinator-friendly camellia, wisteria, and magnolia blossoms, all planted and tended by Leona, and a reclaimed red-brick pathway remains set in sand, not mortar, allowing rainwater to percolate.
The house hasn’t changed hands since its completion, and, until recently, Leona, now 88, used the third-floor office as her living area and bedroom, taking advantage of its loft and easy access to a patio for stargazing. Rudi died several years ago, and Leona is moving to be closer to her grandchildren and other family members.
Over the years, Leona delicately updated the house, adding air conditioning nine years ago and maintaining the other mechanical systems. Otherwise, the house is “a unique opportunity” for a buyer that may want a midcentury home, but “doesn’t want to wrestle with the domino effect of remodeling,” Steenblik said.