HBO Max’s new dark comedy series “Made for Love,” which hit the streamer April 1, is a futuristic take on the perils of technology. But the production company looked to the past when it came to the show’s locations, choosing to set the vast majority of the story at a midcentury modern home originally built in 1957.
Located at 3337 Oakdell Rd. in Studio City’s secluded Fryman Canyon neighborhood, the streamlined property serves as the home base for the two characters at the center of the series, billionaire biotech mogul Byron Gogol (Billy Magnussen), founder of the homonymously-named Gogol Tech, and his aimless, long-suffering wife, Hazel (Cristin Milioti).
In actuality, the couple’s residence is not a house at all, but a virtual space situated inside of The Hub, Gogol Tech’s “futuristic” campus, a “mythic building shrouded in secrecy” which Byron and Hazel have not set foot outside of in a decade. I’ll let Byron himself explain. The Hub is “a superstructure made up of virtual reality cubes, all in different sizes, each with its own individual virtual biosphere.” One of those cubes, the Home Cube, contains the Gogols’ midcentury pad. Though undeniably idyllic with lush grounds, immaculate interiors and a large pool where the couple’s pet dolphin, Zelda, lives, not all is what it seems inside the seeming perfection of The Hub.
Hazel is, in essence, a prisoner amongst the home’s floor-to-ceiling glass walls, made to adhere to a strict daily schedule of naps, meals and even intimacy. After Byron inserts a chip into her brain, allowing him to live inside her head and read her every thought, she escapes from the compound and attempts to circumvent discovery despite her husband knowing her every move.
Filming of “Made for Love” got underway in October 2019, several months before Covid-19 hit. In an odd case of life imitating art, the production was put on hold mid-shoot as lockdown measures were put in place and people the world over became trapped within their homes. The pandemic wound up informing many of the production team’s choices when filming resumed in October 2020. As series creator Alissa Nutting, who also wrote the 2017 novel on which “Made for Love” is based, told Variety, “Byron’s whole thing is that a simulation can be just as good, or that if you have a simulated experience, you have no need for the real thing. And that came to mean something different, I think, for all of us, post-lockdown.”
The residence at the center of the story serves as the perfect dichotomy of Hazel’s dream home/prison.
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Image Credit: Take Sunset Designed by Oleg B. Lopatin, AIA, the property initially boasted four bedrooms and four baths in 3,090 square feet and was a virtual midcentury time capsule when it was sold by its original owners in October 2011, 54 years after its inception.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com With pristine built-ins peppered throughout, wood-paneling lining virtually every interior wall and sparkling stone flooring, the structure was a marvel of original detailing.
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Image Credit: Luxury Rental Group The new owners quickly set about renovating it, though, thereby removing most of the authentic midcentury elements. While the sleek lines, basic layout and walls of glass were retained, as evidenced by the before and after photos above, the home has been modernized from end to end. The large undertaking was led by David Thompson of the Assembledge+ architecture firm and his design won multiple awards including the Gold Nugget Award for Best Renovated or Restored Home and the Housing Award from the Los Angeles Business Council Architecture Awards. Though undeniably gorgeous, I am certain Nicole Curtis would have some choice words about the project!
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Image Credit: Luxury Rental Group The dwelling was also expanded during the renovation, with a lower level added, and today features five bedrooms and five baths in 5,324 square feet.
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Image Credit: Luxury Rental Group The main living areas include a dining room with seating for eight, a music/game room, a gym, a step-down family room and an eat-in kitchen with a marble backsplash, quartz countertops and stainless steel appliances. Virtually all of the property overlooks the bucolic yard.
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Image Credit: Luxury Rental Group The owners’ suite features a built-in king-sized bed, wraparound windows with blackout curtains, a soaking tub and a walk-in steam shower.
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Image Credit: Luxury Rental Group The tiered yard, which seems leagues larger than its 0.62 acres, is a suburban oasis with a fire pit, a grassy expanse, a spa and a pool (dolphin not included). You can check out some additional imagery of the pad post-remodel here.
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Image Credit: Luxury Rental Group As the 2011 listing notes, “Complete privacy can be found in this classic one-level architectural estate.” It certainly gives off the impression of ultimate seclusion in “Made for Love,” with the property seemingly far removed from civilization, despite the fact that it supposedly exists within a cubed tech campus. The series makes heavy use of the pad’s exterior, with Hazel and Byron often spending time by the pool and interacting with Zelda.
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Image Credit: Luxury Rental Group The interior of the home appears repeatedly throughout the episodes, as well. With its clean, open lines, everpresent sun streaming through the windows and endless green vistas, at first it is hard to imagine Hazel feeling anything but serene in the space. As Byron’s controlling, egomaniacal personality starts to emerge, though, the structure becomes claustrophobic, with the walls of glass seemingly closing in, which has Hazel yearning to return to the “shithole” town where she grew up. Whether she ever manages to fully escape from her husband remains to be seen. The final two episodes air April 15.
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Image Credit: NBCUniversal “Made for Love” is not the first production to shoot at the property. The dwelling also portrayed the lake house where Tahani Al-Jamil (Jameela Jamil) entertained some humans in the season four episode of “The Good Place” titled “Employee of the Bearimy.” The lake and dock seen in the episode were, of course, just digital creations, which is very Gogol-Hub-esque, ironically enough! Even more ironic? The Google Street View cameras caught the filming of the show taking place on the premises in May 2019. Like Byron, someone is always watching!
Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂
Stalk It: Hazel and Byron Gogol’s house from “Made for Love” is located at 3337 Oakdell Rd. in Studio City. Disclaimer: Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.