All In The Family
Author:Abigail StoneStandard Architecture unifies two adjacent lots in Coldwater Canyon to create a unified pastoral vision for three generations of one blended family
Aged finished, corrugated metal roofs unify the old and new structures.
The two lots, nestled into the quiet wildness of Coldwater Canyon, were the ideal setting for what the clients envisioned: a compound that would house three generations of a blended family, allowing for casual interactions and grand entertaining, with the new house connected to the one that they’d purchased from their neighbors by the dramatic sloping landscape. They called on Standard Architecture to bring their dream to life.
Hand-troweled natural plaster interior walls and white oak flooring are matched with a bed from B&B Italia.
The divided glass steel windows and 11 ft tall French doors are from Steelworks.
Standard Architecture, consisting of Jeffrey Allsbrook and Sylvia Kuhle, are known for clean, streamlined, open spaces that through their innovative use of modern materials, are able to emanate warmth and welcome. Here, those materials include plaster, acid washed stucco, polished and board-formed concrete, Cyprus millwork, Hemlock ceilings and Silver Travertine countertops.
The new house anchors the top of the slope, gesturing to the old structure with its similarly gabled roof of corrugated metal. Steel beams and hemlock siding unite under its pitched roof to created large, flexible interior spaces that embrace the landscape. There’s a two-bedroom space designed for the clients’ parents and their caregiver and a covered patio.
Silver Travertine marble tops the counters in the primary bath.
Standard Architecture reimagined the old house that rests on the lower end of the estate. To create a striking contrast to the upper home—that they’d washed in white—they stained the exterior black, opened up the rooms, expanded the windows to invite in the light and added a large pergola next to the pool. Designed with ample seating , it’s the perfect space for the large-scale parties the clients had pictured.
The custom-designed Cypress millwork, ceilings, and doors were bleached with lye. The floors are polished concrete.
Interior designer Eric Hughes offered the perfect complement to Standard Architecture’s work, bringing in texture, colors, shapes and materials that soften the clean lines of the interior, nodding to the arresting and endless vision of nature seen through the home’s windows. Standard Architecture worked with Matthew Brown Landscape Design to address the landscape, unifying the two properties into one bucolic whole. They connected the homes’ separate side yards, creating a welcome courtyard that links the two homes. They removed the hedges that had divided the lots, turning the slope into a welcoming meadow dotted with old growth California Oaks. They added washed concrete steps that lead from the new home’s outdoor room to the pool and the old house below. They constructed a circular seating area that huddles around a firepit. New young oaks were added, filling in the lush, vibrant hillside. It’s now a magnet for the area’s flora and fauna. “The resort-like design and peaceful setting exceeded our client’s expectations,” Kuhle shares. “They’re grateful to be able to have this experience in the middle of the city.”
The countertops in the entertainment kitchen and kitchenette were created from Basaltina