“The house is a piece of origami made out of triangular shapes, which we then draped over the landscape,” says Arbel.
Once immortalized by master architectural photographer Julius Shulman and currently being considered as a historic landmark in Los Angeles County, this four-bedroom, two-bath residence was built in 1954 by builder and craftsman Ken McLeod to be his personal home. In 1964 architect Rufus Turner restored the rear after a fire damaged the living room.
The house is located in the Camp Biscayne area of Coconut Grove, a neighborhood in Miami. Its main volume is clad in Prodema.
Original tongue-and-groove pine boards, restained a warm chestnut hue, run horizontally to the ceiling. The residents layered gray sheepskin rugs on top of wool berber carpeting, installed by Joseph Velletri’s Sons.
Large paver patios make excellent walkways.
With the help of Sarah Zames of General Assembly Design, Brian Crano and David Craig merged two apartments into one while preserving their general layout. One apartment serves as a space for entertaining while the other, housing a bedroom and home office, retains a more intimate character.