“This home navigates many different scales: the larger landscape scale of Los Angeles, the scale of entertainment and large group gatherings, and the intimate scale of spaces for daily living. I’m most excited about how the design intertwines these scales and allows the client to expand or contract the home depending on changing needs.” –Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, Design Principal
This high-tech West Hollywood retreat is located just above the Sunset Strip and overlooks Los Angeles with sweeping views that stretch from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Maximizing access to these breathtaking views from all parts of the home was a key design directive. Other design goals were to blur the boundaries between inside and outside as much as possible – because the client comes from a background of outdoor adventures, he wanted the house to feel like an adventure to him and his many guests. Many custom-designed and automated elements throughout all three levels contribute to the home’s uniquely modern identity.
On the home’s main level, which contains the kitchen, dining and living areas, a series of retractable window walls open the home completely to outdoor terraces wrapping the exterior. Sliding window walls in the living area, kitchen, and north bedroom complement a pair of “guillotine” window walls in the dining area and two pivoting window walls on the south side of the living area. Together, this substantial series of operable window walls merges indoor and outdoor spaces, extending the livable space outside into the temperate Southern California climate. The main terrace off the dining and living area leads to a swimming pool overlooking a grove of olive trees on the hillside below, with the Los Angeles city skyline stretching out in the distance.
This connection to the outdoors continues on the upper level, which contains the master bedroom and a den, home gym, and a series of roof decks. The lower level reflects the client’s personal interests and hobbies, containing an auto gallery, game room and media room. A large outdoor terrace extends from the auto gallery, cantilevering out over the hillside with unobstructed views of the cityscape.
Material Used :
1. Front Door – Custom steel, painted in Limco Supreme Plus in Orange with VOC Reducer and High Teck Clear Coat
2. Concrete – Cast-in-place, board-formed and precast
3. Master Bath Cabinetry – Custom by Olson Kundig
4. Tom Kundig Collection by 12th Avenue Iron – Hardware – Half Pipe Double Hook
5. Tom Kundig Collection by 12th Avenue Iron – Hardware – Slip Hook
6. Tom Kundig Collection by 12th Avenue Iron – Hardware – Slip TP Bar
7. Tom Kundig Collection by 12th Avenue Iron – Hardware – Slip Bar
8. Tom Kundig Collection by 12th Avenue Iron – Dining Room Lighting – Perf Pulley
9. Convertible Fire Table – Custom by Olson Kundig
10. Long Rolling Dining Table – Custom by Olson Kundig
11. Dining Room Rug – Custom by Olson Kundig
12. Fireplace and Screen – Custom by Olson Kundig
13. Hi-low Coffee Table – Custom by Olson Kundig, top by Chadhaus, base by Activated Designs
14. Leather and Steel Wine Racks – Custom by Olson Kundig, steel by 12th Avenue Iron, leather by Hank Studios
15. Benjamin Moore – Paint – Farrow & Ball in Ammonite, flat and eggshell
16. Stone Source – Kitchen Counters – Panalu Black Granite
17. Stonehard – Stone Slab and Tile – Pietra Olivo
18. Paris Ceramics – Stone Block and Slab – Ebano Dark Honed
19. Stone Source – Stone Slab – Concordia, honed
20. Quarry SE – Stone Slab and Tile – Cottonwood, honed
21. Stone Source – Stone Slab and Tile – Crema Ella
22. United Tile – Ceramic Tile – Royal Mosa in Light Warm Gray Gloss
23. Wood Flooring – Rift Cut White Oak
24. Wood Ceiling – Tight Knot Cedar
25. Bentley Mills – Carpet – Wool Fundamentals Collection, Tasman
26. Bentley Mills – Carpet – Wool Fundamentals Collection, Hawke’s Bay
27. Guardrails, cabintry, wall paneling, fireplace surround – Hot rolled steel, blackened with penetrol finish
28. Shelving, catering kitchen wall paneling – Stainless Steel
29. Hallway wall paneling – Painted Steel
