24-Year-Old Buys Chicly Revamped Robert Byrd House in the Hills

A little less than two years ago, Los Angeles-based interior and furniture design duo Michael and Arya Martin doled out just over $3 million for a historic Robert Byrd-designed residence in the Hollywood Hills that was previously owned for several decades by interior designer Keith McCoy.

The striking two-story house was built in the late 1940s and retained some special touches instituted by McKoy — like handprinted American Revolutionary-themed wallpaper and bedazzled jaguar head sink fixtures — along with unique octagon-shaped baths, per a Vogue Australia article. Intrigued by the home’s rich history, the married founders of the Studio OSKLO undertook an extensive restoration of the premises, which included reinventing the small and separate rooms that were trademarks of Byrd’s design.

Now the property has been snapped up for $6.5 million — or nearly $3.5 million more than the couple paid for the place back in April 2021. The new owner is John B. Goodman Jr., the 24-year-old son of Houston millionaire John B. Goodman, an appliance and air-conditioning heir and polo enthusiast who is currently in prison for DUI manslaughter.

In 2011, the elder Goodman made international headlines for his quirky estate-planning scheme, in which he attempted to adopt his 42-year-old girlfriend and make her a beneficiary of his children’s trust fund, which at one time was reportedly worth around $300 million.

Nestled amid a secluded cul-de-sac, on a nearly quarter-acre parcel high atop the Sunset Strip, the Connecticut-inspired structure is showcased by white wood siding and a slate roof, and is tucked away behind a gated motorcourt flanked by an attached two-car garage. Inside, four bedrooms and five baths are spread across a little more than 4,200 square feet of off-white living space accented throughout with the original wood-beam ceilings, rift oak herringbone floors, steel-framed windows and doors, brickwork and brass hardware.

Among the highlights: a wood-clad kitchen sporting an eat-in island, newer stainless appliances and an adjoining fireside breakfast room, plus a formal living room marked by a fireplace and bay window. A library and office were converted into a TV room, and the newly introduced custom bar is perfect for entertaining. There’s also a formal dining room with yet another fireplace.

A new spiral staircase heads upstairs, where the sizable master suite rests beneath a vaulted ceiling, and displays a walk-in closet, as well as a Calcutta Viola marble bath equipped with dual vanities, a huge soaking tub and glass-encased shower. A finished basement level, meanwhile, holds a stone-clad wine cellar with room for 1,000 bottles; and outdoors, the manicured grounds host gardens, a fire-pit, and pool and spa surrounded by a brick terrace.