Mark Hobbs knows music. After all, it’s a third of Blink-182, the pop-punk band that exploded in 1999 with songs like “What My Age Again?” and “all the little things”, and that – despite the separations, formations, and vicissitudes of the organs – remains a prominent part of the millennial cultural lexicon. What the guitarist and singer didn’t know when shopping for a home in Los Angeles with his wife Skye Hoppus in 2004, was anything about architect Harold “Hal” Levitt. Only after the couple fell in love and purchased a mid-century modern home by Levitt did they learn of his legacy.
“We got lucky with this amazing architect that we really didn’t know about,” Mark says. ad. “We’re really glad we got caught up in it.” Nearly two decades later, after raising their 19-year-old son Jack at home and holding on to him throughout his three-year stay in London, they are still fascinated by the abundance of windows and sweeping curves, including the sunken den. . However, what Skye never really liked were the home’s original rectangular terrazzo bathtubs. “While they looked amazing and very interesting architecturally, they weren’t very comfortable,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to have a bathtub that can be used. It’s kind of like my only moment, at the end of the day, just to relax.”
This desire for a more comfortable place to soak created a ripple effect. Finally, in 2015, Mark and Skye brought in Marmol Radziner to spice up the entire house. (The kitchen has remained the same, but there is talk of updating it afterward.) The front door and entryway, which Ron Radziner, partner in design for the firm says, were “confusing” before, just as was the master bedroom suite. The landscaping was updated, as was most of the furniture, and the biggest addition was Mark’s brand new underground music studio. The cellar-like room features an acoustic cabin and comfortable seating, and provides the perfect place for a musician to keep items “Sky doesn’t necessarily like in the rest of the house,” says the rocker, as star Wars Souvenirs or Dodgers baseball bobblehead dolls.
Radziner says that the company’s main focus throughout the entire process was “respecting the spirit of the house,” which was originally built in 1961. “I think if we could be anonymous and silent about our intrusions into this situation, we’d have done well.” (Because Levitt is on the City of Beverly Hills list of local architects, the firm had to obtain permission for exterior changes.)
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The result is seamless and provides the perfect canvas for Mark and Sky’s eclectic style to shine—particularly since, Sky says, their flair has evolved since they first moved in. At the time, they filled the home with mid-century furnishings that matched the architecture, but they’ve since recognized the value of mixing styles. “Living in London, we saw that you could live in an old Victorian house, but didn’t have Victorian furniture. With that feel, we live in a mid-century modern home but not everything has to be mid-century,” Sky says. You can bring other feelings.”
Plus, the renovation came at a time when the couple needed their home to be a haven more than ever. In June of this year, Mark revealed on social media that he had been diagnosed with cancer and had undergone chemotherapy for three months. The Blink-182 vibrator is now being treated with the treatment and was recently declared cancer-free.
During this ordeal, he found special comfort in his newly renovated front lawn, where he added several mutated plants he found during a visit to a botanical nursery right after he was diagnosed. “I built this cancer garden using these mutated plants which I felt kind of connected due to my body mutation. It’s a nice area to go and sit in the morning and have a cup of coffee,” he says.
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