Arden is a family home on a quiet, tree lined street in Los Angeles. The brief asked for a generous house that could also feel calm and private, a place where a busy city stays on the other side of the front door. The result is a 5,100 square foot main house and an 800 square foot guest house, arranged around a private garden and pool, and built with materials we brought over from Europe.

From the street, the house reads as a composition of simple volumes. White plastered boxes sit at different heights, and between them a warm wall of vertical timber slats marks the entrance. A dark wood garage door is set flush into the white wall on one side. The front of the house is kept fairly closed, with only narrow horizontal windows facing the street, which protects the privacy of the rooms behind.

A wide flight of steps rises from the driveway through ornamental grasses to a deep covered porch. Thin strips of green cut across the pale concrete drive and soften what could otherwise be a hard surface. After dark, light lines under each step and a glowing soffit above the door lead visitors in.

The site is long and narrow, and the plan follows it. The main house sits close to the street and turns its back to it, opening instead toward the garden. Behind it, a timber clad wing and the main volume wrap around a large deck, forming an outdoor room sheltered on two sides. The pool lies at the center of the garden, and the guest house stands at the far end of the lot, raised slightly above the lawn. A stepping stone path along one side connects everything, so it is easy to move between the houses without passing through the main living spaces.

The deck is where the house really comes alive. Part of the upper floor is lifted on slim white columns, so the space below becomes a shaded terrace for dining and lounging, with an outdoor kitchen and grill along the hedge. Deep sofas, woven lounge chairs and a dark round table turn the deck into a second living room. Beyond it, the pool steps down into the garden, framed by stone coping and low walls with small lights set into each stair. Tall hedges and rows of slender trees line the boundary walls, and mature trees from the neighboring gardens fill the view, so the whole garden feels enclosed and green.

Inside, the ground floor is one open space that runs from the street side to the garden. Large sliding doors along the back slide away completely, and on a warm day the kitchen, the living room and the deck become one continuous floor. The kitchen is built around a long island and a fireplace wall in book matched natural stone, with warm veining that runs across every face.

A tall wall of walnut cabinetry with fluted fronts hides the ovens and storage. Above the island, the ceiling opens into a double height void, overlooked by a glass balustrade on the upper floor, and a cluster of brass leaf pendants floats in the space.

The living and dining areas continue the same calm palette. Pale oak floors run through the whole house, the walls are finished in soft, textured plaster, and a wall of dark timber slats wraps the fireplace. A glass dining table for ten sits beneath a white sculptural chandelier, next to a large picture window that frames a living wall of green. In the living room, a curved sofa, rounded armchairs and a group of brass ring pendants keep the mood relaxed. The stone and hardwood were chosen in Europe for their quality and durability as much as their beauty, and they give the interior a sense of weight and permanence.

The living and dining areas continue the same calm palette. Pale oak floors run through the whole house, the walls are finished in soft, textured plaster, and a wall of dark timber slats wraps the fireplace. A glass dining table for ten sits beneath a white sculptural chandelier, next to a large picture window that frames a living wall of green. In the living room, a curved sofa, rounded armchairs and a group of brass ring pendants keep the mood relaxed. The stone and hardwood were chosen in Europe for their quality and durability as much as their beauty, and they give the interior a sense of weight and permanence.

At the far end of the garden, the guest house has a character of its own. It is a single storey pavilion under a thin, wide roof that projects over a glazed front. Floor to ceiling sliding windows and a timber clad wall face the pool, and a raised porch with cable railings runs along the whole length. Low steps on each side lead down to the lawn. Guests have their own entrance, their own view of the garden and full access to the pool, while the main house stays private.

Arden brings together the openness of California living and the care for material that runs through European architecture. The house is large, but it never feels cold, because every room is tied to the garden and every surface was chosen to age well. It is a home built for family life, for long evenings by the pool and for quiet mornings on the deck, in the middle of the city.

Project Information
Client: Rismondo Design

Type: Private residence and guest house

Area: Main house 5,100 sq ft (about 474 m²), guest house 800 sq ft (about 74 m²)

Place: Los Angeles, California, USA

Realization: 2024