Karen E. Hudson, the granddaughter of the celebrated architect Paul Williams, above on the right with this blogger, has written a new book on his work, "Paul R. Williams: Classic Hollywood Style", published by Rizzoli. One of the houses featured is the Preminger House in Brentwood, owned by Merle and Peter Mullin for the past thirty years. Last Sunday they graciously opened their home for a book signing reception, sponsored by Gary Drake of Drake Construction. As I have worked on two Paul Williams houses in the past, it was most delightful to meet Ms. Hudson and visit this beautiful home and of course, to meet the current owners.
Photograph by Benny Chan, copyright Rizzoli 2012
The head gardener Art Luna was on the site with helpful hints on gardening. He said that the Mullin garden is about 85% organic. I had just watched a program on the gardens of Prince Charles' residence, Highgrove, that morning, and this garden reminded me of it. Art said that he had visited Highgrove many times during different seasons.
Mr. Mullin is an aficionado of 1930s French cars. He has an impressive collection of them in his museum, The Mullin Automotive Museum, in Oxnard. The residence in Brentwood has a garage below the herb garden with a sampling from the collection. Above is a magnificent 1938 Talbot Lago.
Visiting this beautiful home and garden was a most delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
