After walking the hillside property in Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles with the partners of SITU, we immediately knew the overlooked sprawling ranch could be transformed into a tranquil, modern home. After upgrading its foundation, our task was to open up the plan and add square footage to increase its footprint from 2 bedrooms to 4 bedrooms. The original house hugged the street with its massing, leaving over a large swath of the lot to undeveloped landscaping. By adding massing to the West and East ends of the original home, we created an internal facing courtyard with views to the Southeast. The creation of the courtyard allowed us to program the space with a deck and a pool with views of the San Gabriel Mountains.

A new primary suite and secondary bedroom now occupy the added massing on the east side of the home, while two new secondary bedrooms were added to the structure on the west side. The new configuration of bedrooms wrap around a newly formed, central living and cooking space. The new living space splits its level, with 5 steps taking you from an upper living area, down to the kitchen area. The stair separating the two spaces continues through the exterior wall, forming a mirrored split level on the rear deck. The pool sits on the upper level of the split while more seating and bedroom terraces sit on the lower level.

A custom, solid wood, window package prioritizes the views within the home. Installed without moulding, the deep threshold frames of the windows provide a sense of calm and ease, while bringing in natural light into all rooms in the home. Douglas Fir wood was carried over from the window package into the kitchen and bathroom vanities. The kitchen and all vanities were custom designed and built locally in Los Angeles from Breccia and Ceppo natural stone to sit within the minimal vertical grain Douglas Fir vanities. Consistency in the millwork package showcases the beauty and simplicity of natural materials.

The new residence at Lowry Road is a study in contemporary living. Opening up the main living spaces, the new owners can live a spacious daily life while still returning to the cozy bedrooms forming the perimeter of the home.