BUILDING TYPE:

Residential
Pacific Palisades

BUILDING TYPE:

Residential

LOCATION:

Pacific Palisades

AREA:

2,000 SF

COMPLETED:

2020

PROJECT ARCHITECT:

John Umbanhowar
Pacific Palisades
Set on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean near Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, this residence is a response to the site and client aspirations. The design harnesses western views and breezes offered from the perch above Sunset Blvd.

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In contrast to the austere street front, the house’s rear opens itself up with abundant glazing and floor to ceiling sliding doors. The yard area, which feels like an extension of the house, is a stage for experiencing sunsets as well as the morning and afternoon mists lazing across the rolling hillsides. The 3, simple, stucco-clad volumes subtly change in color and texture throughout the day, reflecting the nuance of the ever-changing skies of Los Angeles. The building magnifies the experience of place, an aspect that HUUM strives to create in all its work. Procession through the residence begins at the sidewalk; the entry a gentle embrace of the visitor. The garage volume’s floating wall slides into a stout grotto where all 3 of the building geometries come together with the walls and overhang above. Then release, a glass pivot door opens here, revealing the Santa Monica Mountains beyond a wide panorama frame of 9′ tall by 24′ long glass. The floor plan places the community focused rooms on the ground level: a great room is the heart of the home where food, fireplace and gathering take place. Adjacent are a media room and home office that satellite off the larger space so the clients can come and go from private to public activities easily. Light that emanates from a large-scale window-skylight spills down and out of the partially hidden stairs beckons the home inhabitants to the second floor; consisting of 3 en-suite bedrooms. The master bedroom is highlighted by a perforated metal shroud wrapping the ocean view balcony with shade and patterned shadows. The material sparseness on the exterior continues inside; wood floors, recessed baseboard, frameless gypsum light fixtures disappear into ceilings and walls. The clients request for a quiet, thoughtful residence being satisfied in such details as these. Set on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean near Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, this residence is a response to the site and client aspirations. The design harnesses western views and breezes offered from the perch above Sunset Blvd. In contrast to the austere street front, the house’s rear opens itself up with abundant glazing and floor to ceiling sliding doors. The yard area, which feels like an extension of the house, is a stage for experiencing sunsets as well as the morning and afternoon mists lazing across the rolling hillsides. The 3, simple, stucco-clad volumes subtly change in color and texture throughout the day, reflecting the nuance of the ever-changing skies of Los Angeles. The building magnifies the experience of place, an aspect that HUUM strives to create in all its work. Procession through the residence begins at the sidewalk; the entry a gentle embrace of the visitor. The garage volume’s floating wall slides into a stout grotto where all 3 of the building geometries come together with the walls and overhang above. Then release, a glass pivot door opens here, revealing the Santa Monica Mountains beyond a wide panorama frame of 9′ tall by 24′ long glass. The floor plan places the community focused rooms on the ground level: a great room is the heart of the home where food, fireplace and gathering take place. Adjacent are a media room and home office that satellite off the larger space so the clients can come and go from private to public activities easily. Light that emanates from a large-scale window-skylight spills down and out of the partially hidden stairs beckons the home inhabitants to the second floor; consisting of 3 en-suite bedrooms. The master bedroom is highlighted by a perforated metal shroud wrapping the ocean view balcony with shade and patterned shadows. The material sparseness on the exterior continues inside; wood floors, recessed baseboard, frameless gypsum light fixtures disappear into ceilings and walls. The clients request for a quiet, thoughtful residence being satisfied in such details as these.