Exterior

The home's overhangs provide shade. “We wanted to make sure the house was comfortable,” says Ikegami. “You have cross-ventilation, and the interior is filled with light from the clerestory.”

“From anywhere in the house, you have a sense of the outdoors,” says Melonie, “and yet it’s very private.” Ikegami agrees. “The building was really about the landscape—it can dissolve into the background,” he says. In the master bedroom, Japanese Tansu chests from the couple’s previous home flank a Duxiana bed. The full-height windows and swing door are from Western Window Systems.

A 100-year-old oak shades the front of the house, which is clad in weathering yellow cedar.

The owners toured this home, which surrounds a mature tipu tipu tree, while visiting relatives for the day. The brick is original to the 1947 construction.

“It was very important to me that the cabin be low to the ground,” says Diane. “I love the forest floor and the sway of our huge ponderosas, so I wanted as little disruption of the natural ecosystem as possible—a request which our builder, Trevor, honored admirably.”

Fifteen years ago, the “rickety” cabins that the family had built over the years on their lakeside property were reassessed as lakeshore homes, and the family’s taxes soared. They decided to subdivide the lots—they sold two, and three of her brothers took lakeside lots, while Diane and another brother took back lots. The old boxcar has been preserved and encased in one of her brother’s lake homes. “I didn’t want to build a lake house,” she says. “I wanted to give my grandchildren the old boxcar experience of freedom and simplicity. I wanted them to be able to hear the wind, feel the rain, and be one step from nature.”

Strategic openings and operable panels facilitate air flow.

On the street-facing exterior facade, fiber cement panels framed in blackbutt timber form a distinct pattern.

Klopf Architecture's modest 72-square-foot addition at the front of the home blends in with the original structure while giving the owners a greater sense of openness in the master and hall bathrooms. Inside, the re-imagined great room now features dining space.

Outdoor seating helps make the deck and the living room on the other side of the movable glass feel like one combined space.

Though the facade is dominated by the carport, homeowner Christopher Caparro could tell it would have striking views of Laurel Canyon.

The wood slats were Fell’s idea, which Eric immediately jumped on. Depending on the angle, they provide a degree of privacy and shade, not to mention giving the home its attention-grabbing facade. Eric and his girlfriend relax on the balcony’s all-weather furniture by Ebel. Cedar trim and stairs add some contrasting color.

"Merritt's use of glass, stone, and wood make this home feel incredibly warm and welcoming,

A tall brick wall borders the historic two-story residence, creating a tranquil city escape.

A paved, tree-lined driveway leads to the newly constructed home, which sits perched above sprawling vineyards and open space.

Operable floor-to-ceiling glass doors slide into pockets to open the entire great room—including living and dining areas—to the outdoors. “This allows the line between indoor and out to blur, inviting in summer breezes and fresh air,” says architect Meelena Oleksiuk Turkel.