When Dave Binegar and Aaron Rivera (a creative executive and artist, respectively) bought their 100-year-old bungalow in Silver Lake, it was intended to be a starter home: somewhere cozy to stay while they worked toward something bigger and better. But the realities of L.A. real estate caught up to them eventually, and they warmed to the idea of staying put. To make it work, they’d need a little more room to spread their wings—which meant the little shed out back that Aaron used as an art studio would need to start pulling its weight (or at least get some plumbing).

Then Dave read about Bunch Design in an L.A. Times article, and the couple decided they’d found just the studio to help make their ADU dreams come true. Dave was immediately taken by the firm’s use of light. “There was something that just resonated with me,” he says. “We wanted something beautiful but small, that maximized room to breathe, and I love the way they bring the outside in.”

Principals Hisako Ichiki and Bo Sundius were similarly taken with the creative couple. “We saw the art everywhere and said, ‘we have to do this, we have to help them make space for all this wonderful stuff,’” says Ichiki. A few conversations later, and Bunch began reconfiguring one of their existing ADU designs into 350 square feet. Operation Backyard Expansion was a go.

Ichiki and Sundius have developed a niche for ADU design—a specialty they’re more than happy about. “What we love about ADUs is they don’t have the pressures of a single-family house, says Sundius. “There’s not the same real estate pressure to create something resalable—it doesn’t have to be three-bed, two-bath, it can be led by a state of desire.”

Aaron was already using the space as a studio, so the challenge wasn’t necessarily to make it more productive, but to make it inspiring. “We wanted to tailor-make a space that would ride alongside their art and their lifestyle,” says Sundius. The long, narrow building was giving New Orleans shotgun-house vibes—but the Bunch team saw an opportunity to make the small space feel large.

They took down walls to create an open, airy sensation, and installed ample windows. Clerestory panes line all four sides, and at the very center of the roof is a skylight, 19 feet up from the polished concrete floor. The ceiling stretches up, up, up toward it—“it’s like being in a hot air balloon,” says Sundius with a laugh.

For even more natural light (and a healthy breeze), the doors accordion open to the lawn. Even the bathroom is drenched in light, thanks to the windows (mounted above walls wrapped in deep-blue square tiles from Daltile) that let in sunshine from the skylight. “If you’re taking a shower, it feels like a spa,” says Dave. Adds Ichiki with a laugh, “The best view is from the toilet.”

The exterior got a coat of vibrant blue paint to mirror the look of the main house—a visual cue that this revamped little shed is a part of their home “There’s so much going on in this tiny space,” says Sundius. “You think you might get cabin fever but there’s so many things happening.” Hummingbirds on the back patio, the shadows, the sunlight—you can appreciate it differently throughout the day or as the season changes. And if that’s not a “forever home,” then what is?

More projects by Bunch Design:

A Color-Blocked ADU in Los Angeles Takes a Cue From Talking Heads

This Bright and Airy Backyard Cottage in L.A. Feels Like a Cabin in the Woods

Budget Breakdown: A Playful, Postmodern ADU in Los Angeles Is Built for $249K

Project Sources:

Architect: Bunch Design / @bunch_design

Builder/General Contractor: Los Carpenters

Structural Engineer: Craig Phillips Engineering and Design

Appears In

This Little, Blue Silver Lake ADU Hides a Surprisingly Airy Interior