A Modern L.A. Home Mixes California Mediterranean With Art Deco Vibes
This new two-story home in Los Angeles blends Art Deco with a modern, minimalist edge.
In the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, architecture firm Hsu McCullough designed a new home for a young family after a planned renovation of their existing 1925 home revealed an unworkable structure. The totally new Moore Residence is designed to meet the family's every need while fitting in with the 1920s and 1930s homes found throughout the neighborhood.
The building's crisp, white facade nods to the neighboring white stucco homes that were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s. The elongated arched windows give the exterior a 1920s Art Deco feel.
Photo by Dan Arnold
The family sought a design that suggested California Mediterranean in terms of materials and colors. They also wanted several gathering spaces throughout the home—both indoors and out—that would accommodate the family of four.
The multiple planes of the facade create a complex form, allowing part of the second floor to hide behind the white plaster cement mass in front.
Photo by Dan Arnold
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At the rear, a large open patio with wood planks and an outdoor eating space allow for indoor-outdoor living.
Photo by Dan Arnold
The architects interpreted these requests and developed a white exterior with punched and horizontal windows, wood siding, wood decking, and black window frames. The material palette is simple, and natural light fills every room. In order to carve out enough room for the shared spaces requested by the client, the architects sized down some of the bedrooms and condensed closet and bathroom space.
A custom steel and Douglas fir wood trellis provides some relief from the strong California sun, which bounces off the white walls. The trellis is stained with a custom color.
Photo by Dan Arnold
The result is a very open first floor. The den and music room sit near the kitchen, which opens out onto the dining room and an exterior dining deck. The dining room has a particularly strong connection to the outdoors, with a floor-to-ceiling expanse of glass looking onto the driveway, which is paved in textured concrete.
The staircase is made from wood and metal, tying together other simple materials found throughout the home. The white oak is echoed by the flooring of the ground floor, while the black oxide finish reflects the dark bronze finish of the doors and windows.
Photo by Dan Arnold
A central staircase leads to the second floor, which contains three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a sizable outdoor deck outfitted with a movie screen and fire pit. The deck allows for evening ocean breezes while providing privacy and some shade from the sun.
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ShopThe kitchen is open, with a large island and white countertop.
Photo by Dan Arnold
The main living space on the ground floor is located directly off the front door. It has a long horizontal window on two sides. The custom wood door is painted in Farrow & Ball "Pitch Black" with Emtek "Davos Tubular Marmont" mortise hardware and a US Black finish.
Photo by Dan Arnold
The dining area, stair, and living area are all open, allowing for strong sightlines across the ground floor.
Photo by Dan Arnold
The kitchen is kept light and bright by multiple windows and a sliding glass door, as well as white countertops and a white tile backsplash. The gray cabinets are painted in Benjamin Moore "Kendall Charcoal" paint in semi-gloss finish; the cabinet pulls are "Bowman" hardware by Rejuvenation in Oil Rubbed Bronze finish; and the wood shelves are solid live-edge oak with concealed brackets.
Photo by Dan Arnold
Wide-planked white oak wood flooring is echoed in both the wooden dining table and the floating wood treads of the stairs leading to the second floor.
Photo by Dan Arnold
The second floor is flooded with light; windows line the common corridor spaces.
Photo by Dan Arnold
A white and wood bathroom is complemented by patterned geometric tile and a simple metal mirror.
Photo by Dan Arnold
One of the children's bedrooms faces the street. Three dramatic arched windows at the front of the house fill the interior with light.
Photo by Dan Arnold
One of the bathrooms on the second floor contrasts crisp white tile on the walls with geometric blue tile on the floor.
Photo by Dan Arnold
The family often spends evenings in front of the fire pit on the outdoor patio on the second floor.
Photo by Dan Arnold
At night, the windows and second floor patio make the building glow.
Photo by Dan Arnold
The home is surrounded by a modern wooden fence that matches the cedar plank siding found on the second floor of the home.
Photo by Dan Arnold
Project Details:
Architect of Record: Hsu McCullough / @hsumccullough
Contractor: Gramajo's Custom Homes, Inc.
Structural Engineer: Parker Resnick Structural Engineering
Landscape Design: Jay Griffith Landscape
Appliances: Fisher & Paykel
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