If this house looks familiar to you, it’s probably from the all time favourite classic “Back to the Future”, where you saw it in scenes when Doc was trying to repair the DeLorean in his garage-cum-laboratory. In this case, a visit to this historical site is simply the conventional route of going back to the past, but that doesn’t make it any less fascinating.

Belonging to the David and Mary Gamble of successful consumer goods company Proctor and Gamble, this house already sets a high standard for itself right off the bat. Perhaps it’s all in a name, since the architects who designed it were called Charles and Henry Greene, and the three story house is famed for its incorporation of natural elements into the décor. Inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetics, plants and flowers adorn the furniture in the form of glass, semi-precious jewels, wood and metal, and vines are crawling up the outside walls, making the house blend seamlessly into its rustic setting. Airy, light, and spacious, Japanese cloud and mist abstracts are applied to the interiors and art-glass windows let sunshine fill the rooms.

Talented craftsmen spent 11 long months cutting, turning, joining, carving and hand ribbing 17 species of wood to create this winter residence for the family. Their clever handiwork means that panels, doorways and even a piano are smoothly concealed, creating a sense of effortless continuity. The subtly contrasting textures and grains of the woodwork and joinery characterize the brilliance of its architecture, so when the Gambles were confronted with a buyer who expressed intentions to paint the interior white, they realized the urgent need to protect this masterpiece. It was instead deeded to the city of Pasadena and eventually designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978.