Idyllic compound on an acre in Topanga asking $2.5M

The recipient of a MacArthur “genius” award, sculptor and painter Liza Lou first came to prominence back in the ’90s with the completion of her work “Kitchen,” a to-scale and fully equipped replica of a kitchen covered in millions of tiny glass beads, followed by “Backyard,” a meticulously rendered glass-bead garden measuring 525 square feet.

Those two pieces are now in the permanent collections of the Whitney and Cartier Foundation museums, but here’s your chance to acquire the artist’s actual kitchen and backyard, along with all the other parts of her lovely Topanga area residence. You’ll have to add your own beads, however.

Located on just under an acre in the Fernwood tract, the property contains four structures: a two-bedroom main house, a guest cottage, a pavilion, and an art studio.

Measuring 1,472 square feet, the main house has a Scandinavian-modern-meets-industrial aesthetic, with an open layout, cathedral ceilings, polished concrete floors, a concrete fireplace, built-in bookshelves, stainless steel appliances, and cinderblock accents.

With hardwood floors, plywood-paneled walls, and extensive built-in shelving, the two-bedroom, one-bath guest cottage also reflects a strong Scandinavian influence, but of the cozy, “hygge” variety, while the 600-square-foot pavilion takes its cue from Japanese design.

Rounding out the property is the art studio. At 1,000 square feet, it’s pretty spacious, with vaulted ceilings, polished concrete floors, wide door access, a storage area, and a bathroom.

As for exterior amenities, along with a koi pond with waterfall, there’s an outdoor Japanese soaking tub, a raised vegetable garden, a cactus garden, and numerous olive, redwood, oak, and fruit trees.

According to public records, Lou and her husband, graphic artist Mick Haggerty, purchased the property in 2000 for $519,000. It’s now on the market with an asking price of $2.495 million. Paul Ferra and Melissa Oliver of Coldwell Banker have the listing.