This Secluded SoCal Residence Makes a Grand Statement on a Sloping Site
Belzberg Architects designed this Los Angeles home for two empty-nest retirees who sought a home suitable for their everyday lives that could also entertain large gatherings of friends and family. The 11,900-square-foot, three-story home achieves these goals with large open areas and indoor/outdoor connections on all levels.
The exterior form optimizes views, framing vistas of the surroundings. The metal frames twist and taper, providing passive solar control for interior spaces and outdoor patios.
The Santa Monica–based firm devised the limestone-, metal-, and glass-clad dwelling for a challenging, sloping site in Los Angeles, California. The architects turned the challenge into "an opportunity to evoke quiet seclusion while creating a grand statement."
The juxtaposition of open and closed volumes optimizes privacy, views of the landscape, and solar orientation along the sloping site.
This opaque facade of dry-stacked, brush-hammered Hera limestone faces the neighbors uphill, providing privacy for the occupants.
The home's public and private areas range from transparent to opaque. Belzberg Architects intentionally planned the spaces to provide privacy to the occupants without interrupting views and exterior connections.
At night, the transparent spaces glow. Here you can see the interior living spaces and the grand entry beyond.
The grand staircase in the foyer was inspired by both nautilus shells and the columns of the Baldacchino at St. Peter's Basilica—both of which have dynamic, natural curves, and a twisting form.
Located at the center, or "bridge," of the house, the kitchen's glass volume extends perpendicular to the sloping site, making a grand statement that's highly visible from anywhere on the site. With 12' tall floor-to-ceiling glass on the north and south sides, and views of the other wing of the house and the pool below, the kitchen is the focal point of the home.
The juxtaposition of open and closed elements continues into the kitchen. White oak planks wrap the floor, end wall, and ceiling, while floor-to-ceiling glass flanks either side. Low cabinets preserve views to the outside.
The kitchen is the focal point of the home, with views to the rest of the house and the surrounding grounds.
Known as the "bridge" of the house, the kitchen is contained in a large volume which projects from the hill. The garage below is designed as a multifunction room with hangar doors that open to the pool deck.
The grounds contain large, open areas for gathering and entertaining, surrounded by a grove of live oak trees for privacy and seclusion.
With floor-to-ceiling glass, the master bedroom has uninterrupted views of the surrounding vistas and rolling hills.
Inside, rift-cut white oak planks wrap the floors, walls, and ceilings of the main living and entertaining areas. The wood provides a sense of enclosure next to the expansive landscape views provided by the windows.
The grand foyer opens to a formal dining space, decorated with a statement Universe Custom pendant light by Quasar. White oak planks extend throughout, wrapping the floor and ceiling.
Related Reading:
A Tiered Home in Los Angeles Hugs a Steep Slope
11 Hillside Homes That Feature a Balancing Act With Nature
Project Credits:
Architect of Record: Belzberg Architects / @belzberg_architects
Builder / General Contractor, Main House: Dugally Oberfeld, Inc.
Builder / General Contractor, Guest House: Lee Stucker Construction
Structural Engineer: Nous Engineering
Civil Engineer: Kimley-Horn
MEP: Anteri & Sotelo
Geological Consulting: Feffer Geological
Landscape Design: Stephen Billings Landscape Architecture
Interior Design: Nora Wolin Interiors
Millwork Fabrication: Simon Hamui
Published
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