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Californian modernism meets Swiss precision in local architect David Montalba’s three-story family home in the Santa Monica Canyon area of Los Angeles. The new building features a vertical courtyard extending into the basement and was designed with horizontal sensitivity in mind. Both to emphasize its low form and to create a connection with the outdoors, Elysian Landscapes placed a mature avocado tree adjacent to a local plantation. Its upper floors feature stucco, “while the base of the building is massive, textured and grounded by sandblasted concrete walls,” explains Montalba. Sliding louver screens on the second level create a private atmosphere while also providing natural ventilation and sun protection. “The natural light in the canyon is special,” notes Montalba, “allowing us to shape the way it hits certain areas of the site. In particular, the light coming through the slatted wood will reflect on the walls in just the right way. Patterns are formed on it.”
A turn-of-the-century Mission Revival-style home in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood has retained its grandeur over the years, but isn’t suited to modern living. Studio AM Architecture stepped in to preserve its iconic character while undergoing significant updates. The local practice was to wash the thick masonry walls with off-white paint and then juxtapose them with dark window openings and trim to highlight the original architecture. The structure was ultimately complemented by landscaping provided by Allworth Design. “Decorative cast concrete corbels and filagree, previously covered with unsophisticated waterproofing products and detailed parapet walls covered in clunky metal flashings, were restored to bring back the home’s ‘new’ old façade,” explains Aaron Mollick, Studio AM cofounder and principal architect for the Project. Considering the location of the site, the structure is visible on three sides. Studio AM made them shine through various interventions, such as converting the enclosed storage space on the upper floor into a sleeping porch that “acts as an elegant tower facing the side street,” adds Molik.
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