TERRACE HOUSE

“Pare down to the essence, but don’t remove the poetry.”

– Leonard Kohen

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Inspired by the architecture of the home first, the drama comes from the stark contrast of the black and white finishing and dynamic red cedar wood batten ceiling; it feels strong and edited. The clean minimalist palette layered in with texture and organic art references warm the space with a casual style. It was important to the clients that the space feel like a modern sanctuary set at the beach rather than the iconic “Beach House” that you see in carbon copy along the coast of Southern California.

The furnishings to accompany the monochromatic palette were chosen for their softer shapes and textural fabrics to help take the edge off the strong architectural lines of the home. For a family of home-body entertainers, an adaptable space with pockets of seating for conversation at sunset was an important experience achieved with a double facing living room and a generous 18-ft island. With 180-degree views of the Catalina Islands, the “terrace house” was in fact terraced for purpose; to give unabashed views from every seat in the house up to the 4th floor roof top bar and outdoor lounge.

Some of this home’s many features include a semi recessed black granite lined pool with waterfall, 750 sq ft home gym with wet and dry heat and outdoor cold plunge, 25’ foot automated wall to close off the kid’s playroom when guests arrive, and an exquisite Poliform kitchen and closet. The home also uses many passive design elements like the incorporation of massive windows on every floor. Accompanied by both architectural and interior shading devices, maximum daylight is achieved and with a switch of a button the house can be blacked out for slumber or heat gain while in the evening LED lighting throughout help to mitigate energy use. On the bedroom floor, all of the bedrooms are oriented to face the view with large windows while light wells from the pool deck help illuminate the hill-facing darker spaces which were used for the kid’s playroom, theater and back of house functions.