SAOTA’s Hillside home in Los Angeles is located immediately above Sunset Boulevard on a promontory just one over from Pierre Koenig’s landmark Stahl House. The site is a20 000 square foot estate, featuring 300-degree views over the LA skyline and the city basin below, and the design was conceived of more as a self-contained oasis rather than a conventional house.

The Stahl House served as a key point of departure. The forms and articulation of Hillside’sroof planes, which werepushed as far forward as possible so that they could create meaningful external covered living spaces, setitsarchitecture in dialogue with the iconic silhouette nearby and connect it to the drama of itscontext.

The projecting eaves and soffits create a “fifth” façade proved fortuitous in creating a sense of identity because the wraparound perimeter views necessitated the carefully controlled placement of solid walls and extensive use of glass to maximise the panoramic potential of the site. Consequently, the architecture is defined through the floating, overlapping horizontal floor and roof plates curating specific view axes rather than mass walls or external structure.

The steep approach from below resulted in a dramatic entrance through a top-lit central atrium – rising via a 12-car underground garage and an indoor waterfall cascading into a courtyard – before surfacing into the centre of the living level in a dramatic moment of revelation as a dead-on view of downtown LA opens up. The programme is arranged around this focal view, loosely forming two wings, one oriented east-west, and the other north-south. The largely open-plan interior, in the absence of mass walls, has been articulated vertically and through volumetric changesto rationalise the layout.

References to modernist construction techniques are picked up in the articulation of the steel columns and the sensuous and tactile use of timber and limestone on the floors and wall, which is carried extensively throughout the interior and exterior detailing. Some of the identifying features such as the cut-outs in the roof have been reprised in the detailing of the interior ceilings to add interest.

In keeping with SAOTA’s extensive experience in developing seamless indoor/outdoor open-plan living spaces appropriate to their base in Cape Town, South Africa, where the Mediterranean climate and topography are very similar to that in LA, they conceived of the programme as a series of living rooms connected to extensive covered outdoor terraces. These outdoor spaces are in turn enclosed by a vast undulating infinity pool and lush landscaping along the perimeter, subtly screening neighbouring properties (and ensuring their privacy) withclimbing ficus trees.

In keeping with the principles taken from the StahlHouse and the ground-breaking Los Angeles Case Study Houses, which were built between 1945 and 1966, the generous allocation of outdoor space maximises thepotential of the liveable climate, reconnecting contemporary LA architecture with a somewhat lost aspect of itsmodernist heritage.

The signature In-Canto collection was selected for the luxury interiors  G.T.DESIGN signature contemporary rugs were chosen to furnish the interiors of 8408 Hillside, is a private estate perched on the hills above Sunset Strip with spectacular views of Los Angeles.  A project of world-renowned architectural firm Saota in collaboration with Woods + Dangaran, the residence uses the linear aspects of natural materials such as steel, concrete and glass to blend the indoors with the natural elements of the outdoors of the house. The estate, conceived as a self-contained resort with covered outdoor terraces enclosed by a pool and set among lush landscaping, is steps away from a design masterpiece, the iconic Stahl House, a mid-century modern residence designed by Pierre Koening in 1960.

The interiors of 8408 Hillside were curated by MASS Beverly Hills, a leading luxury design showroom, that selected G.T.DESIGN for all rug designs in the project. In-Canto, a collection of hand weaved contemporary rugs in a shimmering bamboo viscose, are featured on the floorings of the living and night areas. The platinum shades of the rugs match the cold color palette while the seductive texture of the yarn adds a soft element to the interiors’ clean lines and sturdy building materials.

In-Canto is the product of G.T. DESIGN’s extensive research in textile fibers, in particular, in the use of viscose in rug design. It resulted in additional breakthrough rug collections such as the bestseller Kama and In Touch, made in ecofriendly Tencel. The shimmering properties of In-Canto’s bamboo viscose (also known as bamboo silk) are maximized in this exercise of contemporary manual weaving. The extraordinary experience acquired through years of work with this yarn, selected exclusively from the top quality, creates an unparalleled tactile volume that is compact, seductive and sensual.

G.T.DESIGN combines artisanal techniques and craftsmanship with cutting edge technology to create luxurious custom-made products. Using top-quality natural materials and high-performance technical yarns, G.T.DESIGN’s signature collections and bespoke creations have an unparalleled attention to details. Working alongside architects and interior designer to integrate the textile element in their project, G.T.DESIGN has shifted the perception contemporary rugs from accessory to an essential element in interior design.