When aerospace engineer Leonard Malin was gifted a sloped plot in Los Angeles by his father-in-law, Malin decided to build an innovative stilted design that would allow a house to protrude from the hillside, supported by a thick stilt.

Malin had to woo sponsors as he could not afford to execute his plans on his meager income. One of these sponsors was a chemical manufacturer and hence, it was nicknamed as Chemosphere. 

The sleek, octagonal house was designed by architect John Lautner, and is considered a masterpiece of California Modernism and is loved by cultists of mid-century design. 

After the original owners moved out, the house was used for parties, events, and a number of film shoots appearing in such films as Charlie’s Angels and Body Double. 

It has even made a cameo in The Simpsons.

The home was recently refurbished, its condition worsened from the years of parties, and is now owned and maintained by Benedikt Taschen, owner of the publishing house which shares his name. 

The house now looks like this from the inside:

Imagine enjoying the view of the city with glass of wine in your hands…

Literally, on the edge!