Cool Homes in Los Angeles

Bill Thompson’s Hollywood home exudes modern cool with a custom walnut dining table and chairs from Modernica.

Architect Jayna Cooper had never designed a house before, much less played general contractor, when she broke ground on her new home in the middle of Los Angeles in 2009. After a grueling four months of hands-on work—managing subcontractors, sourcing materials, driving the front loader—she moved in. With a façade made of corrugated sheet metal, Cooper walks us through her completed home and reveals what it took to make this $200-per-square-foot abode a reality.

Sliding doors on either side of the living room and along the kitchen open all the way, allowing the breeze from the canyon to spin right through the house.

Streetside, foliage and a concrete wall by artist Evan Holloway camouflages Anthony Pearson and Ramona Trent’s low-key Mar Vista home.

Buckner and Roberts both expressed admiration for Jones’s thoughtful details—including the sloping glass, angled columns, and Wrightian light shelf.