Kitchen

The ceramics studio was built on the posts and beams of an abandoned pergola from the old estate. Its new enclosure consists of a roof elevated off of the original rafters, and glazing applied directly to shelves that are suspended between the original columns.

The cantilevered addition was kept, and another bedroom added to the second floor over the existing house. Parks collaborated with Fort Structures to ensure that the third addition would sync with the rest of the house, replicating the window placement to make them sit between the roof beams, while still meeting current code and insulating the ceiling.

The windowed stairwell glows at night.

Lizz’s parents—Louis, an architect, and Caren, a landscape architect—designed the house, which sits on a steep site.

Thompson, a founding principal of Assembledge+, had recently participated in a Los Angeles Magazine project to imagine solutions for those who lack housing in the city. Their notion was for public agencies to subsidize building ADUs in backyards along alleyways, dovetailing with existing alley revitalization initiatives

Knight combined Hardie board and wood siding on the exterior of the duplex, which features the ADU at left and a single-family unit at right, unifying them with Benjamin Moore's Burnt Sienna.

Knight laid out the landscape plantings around the duplex, which he delineated with Hardie board and wood siding, both painted in Benjamin Moore’s Burnt Sienna. He also built the low front fence out of rough-sawn cedar.

Just off this kitchen is this gorgeous "edible garden" making garden-to-table dining a reality in your very own home.

The lounge is accessed via two long concrete steps. On the stair opposite, the continuous vertical balustrade timbers extend to the ceiling of the second floor to form a sculptural element that allows natural light and ventilation to flow between the levels.

With the home’s relatively compact footprint and efficient floor plan comprising two bedrooms and two bathrooms over a single living level, smart use of space was critical. "Built-in storage everywhere [is] number one," says Melanie. A pantry and storage drawers are tucked under the stairs.

A new pergola completes the outdoor dining area set against an abundant bougainvillea backdrop.

One of Mandy’s many Pandemic home-improvement projects was learning to plumb via the new mini hot tub in the backyard.

The couple took advantage of numerous municipal programs when landscaping the backyard. Mandy recently completed a free course through LADWP, who also promotes resources for the SoCal Turf Replacement Program, to become a certified California Native Plant Landscape: “There is an amazing amount of knowledge and resources for transitioning yards with more native/drought-tolerant plants through LADWP and the Theodore Payne Foundation,” says Mandy.

“The landscaping is kind of like a mullet,” says Mandy. “We went with more of a desert, cactus-scape in the front. It’s very formal in the front and the back is a lot more wild and lush. It's fun.”

Another standout feature for Nathaniel is the custom staircase, with its exposed wood edging that steps down the wall in a zigzag rhythm.

In the kitchen, both the timber frame and cabinetry are made of Douglas fir. “We wanted to keep the material palette limited,” says architect and homeowner Sherry Scott. A ladder leads to a loft that doubles as an office and extra sleeping space. The custom sectional in the living area is by Bimma Loft.