645 ADELAIDE The Adelaide residence, built in 1991, is situated on a dramatic bluff at the entrance to Santa Monica Canyon. The project was built on the original footprint of an existing 2,800 square foot house, retaining 90% of its walls. A 900 square foot master perch was added at the second floor.
Curved white walls and a rhythmic stockade of rectangular succo columns at the facade are a contemporary interpretation of the adobe walls that in Spanish Colonial buildings figuratively protect the mystery within. Plantings of red bougainvillea and queen plams form a garden gateway, and the layered walls and circular arrangement of eucalyptus trees lead the eye to the canyon beyond.
As a transitional element between public and private space, the entry features a Japanese garden of pebbles, bamboo, water, and California flora. Beyond the entry, the expansive interior is designed as a hacienda courtyard with a Modernist open plan, creating an urban oasis, alive with light and shadow. Cleresotry windows above the breakfast nook bathe the kitchen in morning light while blue tile on exterior walls dissolves the entire building into the sky. Traditional materials such as unpainted interior plaster, exterior stucco, and chiseled stone floors are juxtaposed against a contemporary curtain of metal and glass.
RANCHO CIELO, Agoura
Rancho Cielo is a 4000 square foot modern hacienda on a 2.5 acre plateau. Its design is shaped by dramatic rock formations, layered mountain ranges and spectacular sunsets.
Like a desert village, the house spreads over the entire plateau with its stark design suited to the rocky site. It is a sequence of spaces starting down a 700 foot long driveway. Walls growing out of the site lead you, while colors suggest mauve earth tones, grey-green landscape and red sunsets.
Rancho Cielo reveals itself in stages with the guest house greeting you at the top of the driveway. The main areas of the house in separate pavilions are linked by glass corridors. It is a quiet, serene design that unites with the abruptness of the landscape.
1717 MONTANA This well-planned and beautifully detailed residence is located between two apartment buildings on a tiny plot of land formerly occupied by a 4-car garage and a small one-bedroom apartment. The 2300 square foot home, on a busy commercial street in Santa Monica, turns inward for ultimate privacy, like early 'in-town' Spanish homes, where walled gardens and gated entrances provided privacy and shelter.
By landscaping the perimeter of the lot for privacy, and replacing much of the front and rear exterior walls of the house with glass, the distinction between inside and outside is dissolved. Visually, space is borrowed from the exterior gardens so that the interior becomes an airy, light filled courtyard.
The living room appears as an open atrium, with light pouring in through the translucent glass walls and high-set window openings. Additionally, doors throughout the house are fitted with green-tinted, semi-transparent glass, contributing to the sense of free-flowing, unobstructed space. On the second foor, an open bridge spans the space between the master bedroom and guest room with a dramatic view to the open living room below and outdoor patio beyond.