With less than 40 residences, Oak Pass Road is a coveted area for anyone seeking privacy—especially Hollywood A-listers. Past and present residents of the winding, gated road include reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump, actress Jessica Alba, and actor Channing Tatum. Nestled between it all is the neighborhood’s newest property—designed and built by the duo behind Los Angeles-based SIMO Design.

“The house that was originally on the site was very interesting,” comments Sam Gnatovich, who leads SIMO Design with his wife, Alexi Rennalls. “The structure was demoed to the studs and left to be, so by the time we purchased the property, the surrounding landscape was taking over. It felt like a 3,000-square-foot treehouse.” Both Gnatovich and Rennalls were inspired by the open-air feeling of the original structure, as well as the downward sloping lot, which dramatically opens up to the canyon below.

Gnatovich and Rennalls chose to enhances the natural color of the wood. The countertop and island are Cielo Quartzite, while the backsplash is steel-troweled smooth stucco." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Alex Zarour" photoUserId=""/>

“When we began the design process, we wanted to embrace that feeling of blurring the lines between where the house stopped and the landscape started,” says Gnatovich. “Typically, on a downward-sloping lot the pool would go in the back. The issue then is that the property flow is interrupted by the house.”

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For the new structure, the couple settled on a L-shaped floor plan, with the pool and entry stairs filling the open corner created by the design. "In this way, the flow of the house and the property become more connected and integrated,” adds Gnatovich.

The home’s materials were carefully selected and finished to be refined—yet natural and raw as to soften the form. Gnatovich explains how this philosophy was brought to life in the living room: “the fireplace that divides the living area and the kitchen is clad in cold-rolled steel, which we blackened using a technique that allows the imperfections of the steel to show, while being refined enough that it looks finished and not too industrial.”

In another application, the couple chose Pertersen Tegl ceramic brick to dress up a wall of bookcases in the living room, dry stacking the tiles to enhance the roughness of the material.

“We set out to design spaces for the home, pool, yard, and landscape to all come together and interact as one space, while maximizing the attributes of the lot,” says Gnatovich. The property is currently listed with an asking price of $11,000,000.

white oak vanity, a marble slab shower, and a Native Stone concrete soaking tub overlooking the private balcony. The suite also includes a spacious closet with a glass-topped island." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Alex Zarour" photoUserId=""/>

The 13,000-square-foot hillside lot offers several Ipe wood decks for entertaining, as well as a 58-foot-long Zero Edge pool with integrated spa. The final result is a streamlined composition of intersecting lines that frame and emphasize the natural environment." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Alex Zarour" photoUserId=""/>

9551 Oak Pass Road in Beverly Hills, CA, is listed for $11,000,000 by Boni Bryant and Joe Reichling of Compass.

Project Credits:

Designer & Developer: SIMO Design / @simo_design

Builder: Fischer Construction

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