Echo Park's Secret Garden - the residence and studio of fine artist Mimi Lauter. Featured in Architectural Digest, this surprising and delightful bungalow garden home, studio, and grounds is as unassuming as it is fantastical. Open the gate and past a discrete hedge, you are greeted by an abundance of colorful blooming roses, salvias, bearded iris and climbing roses framing a 1923 Craftsman. Within, color washed walls create a cool refuge, with well-proportioned living area and dining areas peering out to the low slung front porch. The kitchen features lots of storage and a brand new refrigerator. Two bedrooms and a large hall bathroom plus laundry area complete the 900sf home. Stepping outside on to the pink terrace ignites a garden fantasy come to life. While purple wisteria winds toward an overhead trellis, colorful Zia zellige tiles intermix with custom ceramic tiles by artist Christopher Brody, grounding the space as a portal into this polychrome garden paradise. Unsurprisingly, Lauter's large scale pastel and oil works, published and shown globally, is largely informed and inspired by this very place. The relationship between home, nature, and art is deeply symbiotic, with the artist's studio perfectly situated amidst the garden with high ceilings, gorgeous natural light, and wonderful views into the backyard. Nearby, a large raised garden area features blueberries, sweet peas, artichokes, and summer veggie and herbs. Constructed entirely by the artist over her years of ownership, the gardens are an ever-blooming and evolving immersive field of vibrant color, delicious smells, soft shapes, and meditative moments. Various pathways traverse a central blooming arch while garden 'rooms' and an array of fruit bearing trees provide multiple places for quiet moments and gathering with friends. A truly special place for creatives and those seeking to live among the natural world. Plus a short walk to Andante Coffee, Bar Bandini, l.a. springs Pilates, Echo Park Lake, Levant Bistro, and so much more at the border of Silver Lake and Echo Park.
