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The roughly 1.5-acre property is dotted with giant, old-growth oak trees. “When people come here, they’re astounded,” says Mary. “It’s very peaceful—it feels like an oasis of calm and tranquility in the middle of L.A.”

Aside from the main entrance, there are no doors in the house. Instead, arched thresholds indicate the end of one area and the beginning of another.

Grain Super Black countertops from Stone Italiana sit atop sleek black cabinetry, which hosts the integrated appliances, including a cooktop, oven, and warming drawer from V-Zug.

Opening to the home's main entrance on the upper level, a large red sliding door—one of three—is painted Gypsy Red by Sherwin-Williams. To the left is the kitchen and dining space, and to the right is the living room and studio.

"It was rundown, dark, and divided," recalls Masaaki of his first impression of the warehouse, the ground floor of a multistory apartment building. But after some thought, Masaaki, a Japanese-born architect, and Esther, an artist from Minorca, realized that owning the combined 2,700 square feet would allow them to headquarter Mas-aqui, the architecture and design firm they were planning to start, on-site. They bought the property and within months transformed it into a bright, modern live/work space.

Albert Mo, cofounder of Australian firm Architects EAT, designed the long, low-slung Bellows House to be built top-to-bottom with concrete masonry blocks. The south end of the residence is U-shaped and encircles a private courtyard. The communal living spaces open to a north-facing garden where the family gathers and entertains.