Pools

When the house architect Lorcan O’Herlihy originally built for his parents burnt down in a Malibu wildfire, he was given the opportunity to rebuild it as a structure that will stand the test of time. The concrete shell of the house was the biggest fireproofing decision, particularly the roof. The house also features additional passive fire protection elements to prevent ember intrusions, such as spark-arresting screens to protect any vulnerable spots and drought-tolerant landscaping. A sprinkler system wraps the perimeter to saturate the building in an emergency, plus there’s a pool that could provide additional water for firefighting purposes.

At night, light coming through the wall of original steel-framed windows illuminates the pool area.

The living room overlooks the white marble infinity pool.

The lap saltwater lap pool is lined with greenschist and sits on the southern flank of the home.

Beside the pool is a multi-use guest house that can accomodate visitors with a movable wall of bookshelves deliniating the space, or become one large office or yoga/exercise studio.

A cedar-planked hot tub looks out on to the open desert.

In addition to an expansive rooftop terrace, the home also includes a sparkling plunge pool.

The primary suite has a custom bed designed by FMT Estudio, and the same channeled concrete exterior to mark it as an addition to the original property. This approach, note the architects, enables you to "see the different layers of history."

Even the water in the courtyard pool comes from the on-property cistern, which collects rainwater throughout the year. "Last summer, I think the kids were in the pool twice a day at least," says Jonah. "We lived in that courtyard."

The house opens to the central courtyard, where the swimming pool is a hit in the summer. The space is lined with Leuder’s limestone. “This was a place where we inverted the suburban house model, where there only put stone or brick on the front,” says Legge. “Here, we put it on the inside. It’s a perfect square, and it acts as an anchor, but you can see it from all sides.”

The deck is made of pressure-treated pine that’s meant to age naturally and discolor unevenly, depending on how the sun hits it.

The amount of time Melody and Bob spend at Adelaide “ebbs and flows,” says Bob, depending on commitments in Nashville, where he works on projects and Melody owns a salon and bathhouse. “When we’re here, we make amazing food, swim, goof off, and go for walks,” says Melody. “We walk the whole loop of the property.”

The main deck of the Sento is level with the ledge, resulting in an eye level view of the ocean. The elevated site also offers privacy to those soaking, as they are not immediately visible from either trail. “There’s time to cover up as you hear someone approaching,” Shaw says.

A peek at the sparkling pool.

The spacious, covered deck is ready for anything. “From snowstorms to eclipse, we can play here,” says Adair. It’s turned into a big gathering space for their community; sometimes the family hosts film screenings en plein air.

The ocean is a short, twenty-minute walk away, but the whole family enjoys the pool on a hot afternoon.

“I’m a pool person,” says Jessica. Daltile penny tile lends a retro feel to the water feature. “Orange and blue are our primary accent colors for the house, so taking them to the backyard was kind of a given,” says Frank. “The orange refers back to the burnt orange from the [1950s] era of the house itself.”