Houses

The balance of old and new achieved in the project impressed the jury for the Australian Institute of Architects 2020 awards, which commended Bokey-Grant by saying, "JJ House is exemplary as an approach for altering and establishing a sense of individuality in the recognizable housing stock of our suburbs."

The light blue of the lower cabinetry was inspired by the color of the backyard pool, but was restricted to the lower cabinets to avoid overwhelming the space. The white counters, walls, and cabinets keep the space feeling light and bright, thanks to lots of natural daylight as well.

“I wanted something bold and fresh,” Augustin says of the unit’s citrus-inspired front door, painted Tangerine Dream by Dunn Edwards. The door is flanked by horizontal Redwood slats and gray acrylic stucco.

Facade Horizontal

The corner is the family’s favorite gathering spot—“a contemporary cave for three,” says Serge. Luisa’s module, with its cactus-lined terrace, is visible through the glass wall.

A steel-and-glass extension hosts the main living spaces and flows into the backyard.

To revive the original architects’ vision, studioWTA restored a four-foot roof overhang above a wall of La Cantina sliders. The shade helps limit solar gain, while a pool by Evans + Lighter Landscape Architecture provides respite on sweltering summer days.

Front outdoor space

Tom Conrad and Kate Imbach’s first bedroom redo creates as many problems as it alleviated, blocking their view of Noe Valley behind a wall, for instance. Their second attempt, shown here, opened up the balcony, which has a Frame lounge by Francesco Rota for Paola Lenti. A Grand Repos chair by Antonio Citterio for Vitra faces the bed.

A pair of Icelandic prefab pioneers deliver an efficient family home in Culver City. Building smarter is at the heart of everything designers Tryggvi Thorsteinsson and Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir do. Whether they’re testing the limits of indoor/outdoor living or developing a prefabricated wall system that they hope will make traditional wood framing a thing of the past, the founders of the Santa Monica design studio Minarc are consumed with making structures stronger, lighter, and more efficient.