While most sliding glass walls open to private yards at the back of a house, the architect of this Manhattan Beach renovation, Dean Nota, uniquely opened the front of the home to an enclosed front yard.
Perched on the hill behind the property is a curvaceous pool and spa. Imitating the home's form and materials, the relaxing area provides an oasis within Los Angeles.
One of the home's main features is the dramatic full-height atrium, which overlooks the canyon and surrounding wooded landscape. Extensive glazing on three sides floods the steel-framed space in natural light throughout the day.
The owners of the 1929 Lovell Health house agreed to a rare tour of their home as part of the 85th anniversary celebration.
Upon purchasing a 10-acre plot surrounded by a cluster of boulders, a couple wrote a handwritten letter to architect Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, which resulted in the 5,000-square-foot High Desert House on the edge of Joshua Tree National Park. Kellog spent five years designing a home that would settle into the landscape, “crouching on the rocks, maybe like an animal asleep.” The house features 26 freestanding concrete columns reminiscent of rib bones, and a glass ceiling that fills the home with daylight and views of the stars at night.
