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A Japanese soaking tub is positioned beneath a window to appreciate the site.

Custom cabinetry runs from the closet into the bathroom for a unified feel.

The primary bedroom windows frame up-close views of the boulders on the site.

Erica and her mom enjoy cooking together, and this kitchen makes that easy to do so, with an expanded footprint, leathered quartzite counters, and custom white oak cabinetry. Shoe storage was built-in by the exterior door, with a slim cupboard for cleaning supplies.

The new deck lets the owners glory in the incredible views.

The cabinetry was planned precisely so there’s enough floor space for a spare bed, in case this room needs to host a guest bed in a pinch.

A new office is wreathed in custom cabinetry, as well as a sitting and standing desk, and relishes the views. A pocket door fashioned after a Shoji screen enables privacy.

A cedar-clad ceiling emphasizes the dramatic volumes of the combined living spaces, and the windows bring in the “dappled light” from the trees, says Rogers. The new plan makes entertaining much easier for the couple, with easy flow from the interiors to the roof deck and yard.

Windows along the new staircase connect the family to the outdoors, and allow more natural light inside.

Another view of how the white oak stairs wrap around to become the bench. Rogers wanted the simple interior material palette to both celebrate and gently contrast with the site’s features, becoming a backdrop for the “bark on the trees and the texture on the boulders.”

The stone slab forms a display niche in the cabinetry, and syncs up with the materials used elsewhere in the house. The step up, and the flooring material change, designates the boundary between foyer and the rest of the home.

Custom oak storage sets the tone for the house, with the shoes stored behind the slatted door. A large window creates connection between the exterior landing and the interior foyer, as does the continuous slate flooring.

The new foyer is designed after a Japanese Genkan, and ensures the entry is clearly delineated from the rest of the house. The wood of the bottom stair forms the bench for sitting and removing shoes.

Walkways bridge over the site to disturb it as little as possible.

The addition was shifted into the trees so that it doesn’t overwhelm the site. That also gives the main living spaces a treehouse-like feel when gazing out from inside.

The original home was converted into a bedroom level, and given a second-story addition and roof deck. The dark exterior color, a charcoal-eggplant hue, lets the landscape colors stand out in contrast. “The existing house roof became the roof deck,” says Rogers. “And then I just shifted over the addition so that it floated over the landscape.”

The main entrance is at the bright orange door. Sogno Design Group worked to preserve the site’s natural characteristics as much as possible, thus the addition “floats” over the landscape in places.

The couple worked with Sogno Design Group to expand the cottage by over 1000 square feet, adding an upper level and roof deck, and an independent suite with its own entrance for Erica’s mom (the charcoal door seen to the right).

Perched below the Griffith Observatory and overlooking Hollywood is a lush lot crowned with four towering olive trees and a 1965 home designed by modernist architect Craig Ellwood. When a young couple purchased the home in 2018, it needed substantial work. For a historic restoration, they called on Woods + Dangaran, a local firm fluent in modernist history. The team completed a meticulous restoration of the home while keeping original components like the linear shape, open plan, and expansive windows. One of the most striking features is the original koi pond (a feature deemed so essential that its preservation was a condition of escrow) that is now crossed via a bridge that leads to a new lap pool—perhaps the biggest intervention on the property.