The Natzler Residence

The Natzlers live in communion with the trees and thick planting surrounding their house and the natural textures of wood, wool and linen inside it. Their studio is small, devoid of gadget and complex machinery. They work in close association, collaborating on every piece, each doing what his natural talents indicate: Gertrud at the wheel; Otto at the kiln.”

— Kenneth Donahue, Director, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1968)

The Natzler Residence - Upper Nichols Canyon

Tucked at the end of a long private drive in a secluded hillside setting in Upper Nichols Canyon, this 1937 home served as both sanctuary and working studio for master ceramic artists Gertrud and Otto Natzler, who purchased the property in 1945. Offered now for the first time in 80 years, the residence remains an extraordinary testament to their creative lives. Drawn to the site for its privacy, natural light, and detached guest house — which they immediately envisioned as a studio — the Natzlers transformed the property into a center of artistic and musical life.

In sun-filled rooms overlooking treetops and quiet canyons, Gertrud threw delicate ceramic forms on the wheel they brought from Austria, Otto developed groundbreaking glazes, and together they hosted intimate chamber-music evenings and gathered a circle of artists, musicians, and thinkers. The environment — serene, natural, and removed from the pace of the city — became essential to their practice: controlled light for viewing work, space for kilns and experimentation, and a domestic life seamlessly interwoven with creation.

The original house remains intimate and unconventional — a sequence of cozy, character-rich rooms including a living room with fireplace, dining room, and a kitchen with ceramic tiles, many glazed by Otto Natzler. The main residence includes two bedrooms and two and one-half baths; the second bedroom later became Otto’s office following completion of the 1988 addition.

As their work evolved, so did the property. The beloved hillside studio eventually proved challenging for photographing ceramics with the precision their archive demanded. In 1988, Otto commissioned a striking two-story addition inspired by his Austrian roots — a contemporary nod to an Alpine chalet. Designed for photographer Gail Reynolds Natzler, Otto’s second wife after Gertrud’s passing in 1971, the addition introduced a dedicated studio and darkroom that allowed for the meticulous documentation of the Natzlers’ oeuvre. Above it, a large primary suite with laundry, bath, vaulted ceilings, and walls of windows creates a sanctuary retreat. Both levels open to wraparound balconies with sweeping canyon views, establishing a bold architectural dialogue between the modest 1937 structure and the later expansion.

The original detached Natzler ceramic studio suite, situated above the two-car garage, is preserved in remarkable condition with its own kitchen, small bedroom, and bath — a rare surviving workspace intimately tied to Los Angeles’ postwar craft movement. The property directly abuts the Briar Summit Open Space Reserve, ensuring lasting privacy and a strong connection to the surrounding landscape.

Together, Gertrud and Otto created more than 25,000 works and developed over 2,000 glazes, each meticulously documented by Otto in hand-written volumes. Most of their works are now in the care of museums and collectors around the world. Their first potter’s wheel and kiln, retired in 1982, now reside — along with many of their records — in the Smithsonian Institution.

A place where creativity was not only practiced but lived — where art, music, light, and landscape converged to shape one of the most influential ceramic legacies of the 20th century.