Perched high on a ridge of the Santa Monica Mountains, a mid-century home is being renovated for a client with a keen appreciation for contemporary design. As much of the property consists of native mountain chaparral, the landscape design proposes to bring this native flora into the habitable spaces, creating a seamless connection between the natural and man-made. Though a native palette of oaks, sagebrush, ceanothus, coyote bush and sumac serves as a constant throughout, the landscape will flow from being more naturalistic on the hillsides towards more refined and ordered as one approaches the house, with punctuations of ornamental plantings. After walking through a grove of elms and mayten trees, that also serve to delineate parking spaces, guests will ascend through natural rock outcroppings to the main house above. This sequential approach forces one to slow down and meditate on the subtle textures and colors of the native plantings, that otherwise often go unnoticed. Oak trees are constructively used to frame city views on the north side, while the south side is left unobstructed to allow the vast natural landscape beyond to flow through the house’s glass curtain walls.
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Architecture: DesignARC