Favorites

The architect added a deck at the front of the house to extend the living room. "By keeping it uncovered, you’re allowed to encroach into the setback just a little bit," says Nwankpa Gillespie. "So, we were able to get quite a large porch. That was one way that allowed us to open up the doors to the front yard."

The front garden area is terraced with custom Cor-Ten steel retaining walls with an oxidized patina. The plantings are inspired by the couple’s love for Palm Springs.

Wexler and Harrison's original plan was to create affordable vacation homes for a growing middle class. When this home first went on the market with the others in 1962, it was competitively priced between $13,000 and $17,000. Today, the kitchen has been restored following guidelines from its original configuration, and the landscaping was updated in 2001 with Wexler's oversight.

Black-painted window and door frames contrast with the white-painted steel siding and offer a crisp, clean aesthetic for the exterior of the cottage.