ADU

"I wanted the bones of the house to be bold, strong and simple,

The large pocket doors of Mandeville Canyon House open up the corner of the living room to the concrete terrace and lawn beyond. This house, designed by Dutton Architects, is perfect for informal living and taking advantage of the southern California climate.

Thompson, a founding principal of Assembledge+, had recently participated in a Los Angeles Magazine project to imagine solutions for those who lack housing in the city. Their notion was for public agencies to subsidize building ADUs in backyards along alleyways, dovetailing with existing alley revitalization initiatives

Vince and Ayşe relax on a sofa that converts to a bunk bed in the living area, where a shade pulls down from a large picture window and provides a screen for the movie projector above the sofa.

The renovation revealed a 30-foot-deep well beneath the bedroom, which the team half-jokingly considered turning into a fish tank. Instead, they opted for a simple bedroom with plenty of built-in storage.

Oak lines the interior for a tactile surprise, and the marble counter echoes the marble on the island and perimeter counters.

Perforated steel screens provide shading and privacy to the interior living spaces. The garden extends from the inner courtyard to the rear yard with open, connected spaces.

The design team painted the exterior a dark, charcoal gray and sliced a two-story volume through the facade, removing part of the second floor to create the double-height space.

The upstairs guest suite includes a neutral, daylit bathroom.