Frieze Art Fair: 4 Contemporary Masterpiece Homes

Every age has considered itself “modern” and “contemporary,” and transmitted that self-image through its art and architecture. Here on offer is a message from our own age: masterpieces of contemporary art at Frieze Los Angeles, underway at Santa Monica Airport until March 3. 

The fifth edition of Frieze L.A. celebrates the City of Angels’ dynamic cultural and global contributions to the visual arts with 95 galleries from 21 countries, as well as installations, public art, and pop-up restaurants showcasing the best of Los Angeles.  

Inspired by Frieze Los Angeles, Luxury Defined spotlights four exemplars of contemporary residential architecture, designed by masters of their craft.   

In these sleek, contemporary forms, luxury, comfort, and elegant design engage with the world and what critic Robert Hughes called the engine of modernism: “the shock of the new.” 

1. 1680 N Doheny Drive in Los Angeles, California 

Newly completed, this 13,500-square-foot contemporary masterpiece takes the stage in the exclusive Bird Streets neighborhood above the Sunset Strip, with the L.A. skyline for its footlights. 

Designed by the iconic Vantage Design Group, with concrete and steel construction throughout to provide maximum fire resistance and structural integrity, its jaw-dropping expanses of floor-to-ceiling glass admit light, air, and the view. 

The cantilevered-glass living room, with its helical staircase to the upper level, opens to the dining room and a dream kitchen with stone counters, and a media lounge with a cocktail bar. Motorized Shuco glass doors flood the space with natural light and open to a 4,000-square-foot deck with a sunken fire pit, a 175-foot, curved infinity-edge pool with spa, Baja shelf, and a sunken seating space.  

Health and wellness features include a gym, yoga room, yoga terrace, and a spa with sauna. The home is also equipped with Crestron home automation, climate-controlled wine rooms, automated blackout shades, a commercial-grade elevator, and solar power system. 

The 1.2-acre property has drought-tolerant landscaping and 5,000 square feet of garden space with walking paths and a citrus grove. 

2. Nordanväg 17 in Bellevue Seaside, Malmö, Sweden 

Nordanväg 17, a dramatic contemporary haven on Malmö’s Bellevue Seaside, is the vision of Gert Wingårdh, Sweden’s greatest living architect.   

His masterful L-shaped design received the 2014 Malmö City Building Award. Anchored within a travertine courtyard, its two levels are clad in Silent Gliss glass curtain walls to maximize the landscape views.  

There’s the nod to the Nordic in the whitewashed Douglas fir floors and high ceilings (rising almost 20 feet). The sense of light and space is further enhanced through strategically placed light fixtures (288 in all) in each room. 

The kitchen, by SieMatic, with its stainless-steel Gaggenau appliances and all-white finishes, combines form and function at its finest. The wine cellar has wooden riddling racks for optimal storage.  

Five roomy bedrooms include three suites, one with a separate entrance. There’s also a traditional Swedish Attefall “tiny” house within the lush, private gardens. 

Enclosed within the courtyard are the pool, open-air kitchen, sun lounge, and vast dining space under a linear pergola tailor-made for “wonderful moments” outdoors.  

Related: Discover Luxury Penthouses with Waterfront Views

3. Santa Ponsa Eco–Villa in Mallorca, Spain 

A bold new construction with green credentials and a stunning sea view, this modernist villa has a scenic setting above the bay of Santa Ponsa on Mallorca’s southwest coast. 

The 4,843-square-foot, three-story residence is walled within a level, 0.37-acre sea-facing pleasure garden, protected by security gates. 

The sleek contemporary design combines energy efficiency with the elegant Mediterranean lifestyle. The main living quarters and entertaining spaces occupy the two upper floors. The rear façade is glazed in floor-to-ceiling glass. 

There are four expansive bedrooms and four full baths. The primary suite, with its lavish bathroom and private sauna, is on the second level along with an en suite guest bedroom. The minimalist kitchen and dining space flow to an alfresco terrace with an infinity pool and sunken spa.  

The roof level is accessed by an exterior staircase from the courtyard. The lower level is dedicated to the two guest suites (each with a bathroom and shared living space) and the garage.  

4. Stylish Contemporary Haven in Constantia, South Africa 

Built on a grand scale, this delightfully contemporary estate is a pleasure dome decreed in the lush valley greenery of South Africa’s exclusive Cape Town suburb, Constantia. 

Vast glass windows and doors throughout the main level open to the pool terrace and the gardens, for gatherings formal and informal, with a view of the Constantiaberg Mountains.  

The formal sitting room, dining room, and cozy lounges are warmed by fireplaces. The high-tech kitchen has a chef’s island, breakfast space, separate scullery, laundry room, and access to an outdoor seating area and wood store. 

The living room flows seamlessly to the pool, garden, and patios via sliding doors, offering a great indoor/outdoor living space for entertaining or alfresco dining. 

All seven bedrooms are en suite, and many have a private patio. The principal bedroom overlooks the pool and a pretty water-wise garden. Another bedroom doubles as a private spa.  

The landscaping embraces a large wetland, balau hardwood walking paths, koi ponds, two putting greens and pebble stone gardens with water-wise plantings.  

Various shaded verandas provide wood-fired braai (barbecue) space, a pizza oven, and an outside bar. Added diversions include a regulation tennis court, a rim-flow pool, and, if one’s not enough, a second pool and a sunken hot tub. 

Searching for a contemporary masterpiece? Explore the collection.