Two enormous Hollywood Juniper trees give privacy to a quaint cottage in La Jolla, California. The original house was built in 1948 and owned by the client’s grandmother. With fond childhood memories there, the client wanted a modern home for his lifestyle but wanted to honor the original home. With that directive, Dolphin Place was respectfully transformed. Beyond the Juniper trees, the traditional dutch entry door remains, but new siding with crisp detailing replaces the original lap siding. Rather than entering into small rooms with low ceilings, the interior was opened up for volume and light. The rooms are playful with contemporary furniture and art. And because indoor- outdoor living is an integral part of the California lifestyle, large glass sliding doors completely open the house to the private courtyard and allow for natural daylighting.
The original garage that sits in the courtyard has been fully transformed into the “cube,” a place to chill. When the large hydraulic door to the “cube” is opened, it becomes an indoor/outdoor entertainment spot that takes advantage of the mild coastal climate. At the end of the day, the deck above the “cube” is the place to enjoy a cocktail and watch the sunset over the ocean. A traditional cottage is reimagined for a new generation.
A long-distance relationship meant the client needed to trust some of the design decisions sight unseen, especially where examples of what we proposed didn’t already exist. For instance, to represent the nearby ocean, we created a seaweed pattern for an upholsterer to sew on padded leather panels. We applied them to the interior of the garage door so when closed, you would feel like you were within an abstract ocean. It made all the difference in experiencing the space we call the “cube.”
The house was designed for easy low-maintenance living. The existing lap siding was updated to a siding with a rainscreen installation which better manages moisture. Being close to the beach, the porcelain plank tile flooring is both easy to maintain and durable enough to flow from indoors to out. To complement the light-filled spaces, the client opted for bold color. A highlight is a custom fabricated vanity for a Jolly Rancher red resin sink.
Material Used:
Façade: Wood siding on rainscreen with Sherwin Williams paint
Flooring: Porcelain Plank, Edimax Select
Dimensional Tile: Porcelanosa
Door: Sliding glass, Panoramah!
Windows: Sierra Pacific
Furniture: Ligne Roset
Garage door: Hydraulic, Schweiss
Deck Pavers: Porcelain, Ariostea CM2
Railing: CR Laurence, fabricated by MakeFab
Vanity Neometro resin on custom base by Architects Magnus, fabricated by MakeFab
