Front view of a modern house with large glass doors and windows, illuminated from inside, surrounded by a green lawn and trees at dusk.

Lookout Mountain Residence

Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, CA
Residential / Single Family
Existing: 880 SF, Added: 1,160 SF
Complete

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This project began with a phone call from the actor Ione Skye and her musician husband Ben Lee, whom had recently purchased a tiny hunting cabin on a beautiful lot in the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles.

They were interested in completely renovating and expanding the cabin from a single bedroom into a three-bedroom house. Although the cabin was tiny and compartmentalized, it had a lot of exterior charm that feels appropriate to the neighborhood’s bohemian roots. Because of this, we decided to retain as much of the existing exterior as possible by concentrating the large addition to the rear of the residence. This had the benefit of reducing construction costs, while allowing us to open the living spaces and master suite to the spacious rear yard.

A living room with a green sofa, wooden side table with a lamp, a clear acrylic coffee table with a potted plant, large glass sliding doors, and a skylight ceiling with sunlight streaming in.

View of the vault that brings light into the family room. The wooden doors lead to a large deck that was conceived as a outdoor living room.

The addition consists of a dining room and master suite that frame a large living space running the entire length of the house. The central living space consists of a living room and den that are separated by an open kitchen. Beyond the living room is a formal dining room to the south and five large French doors that open to an outdoor dining area. The existing roofline was continued to seamlessly cover the addition and extend beyond the addition to partially cover the outdoor area. Recessed lighting continues from the inside to the patio, blurring the distinction between interior and exterior.

Modern living room with large glass doors leading to outdoor patio and garden, green sofa, side table with lamp, and potted plant.

High ceiling living room and kitchen are illuminated by multiple sources of light, and open to the deck

Modern kitchen with white cabinets, wooden floors, and a kitchen island with two stools. Contains a stainless-steel refrigerator, plants, and has ceiling lights.

The kitchen is the "hub" of the home with bar seating, which transforms it into a social space.

A large U-shaped kitchen forms the center of the house with bar seating facing into the kitchen from the open living spaces on both ends. Thus the kitchen becomes the hub of the house with views toward towards both the front and rear yards. Just beyond the kitchen is a large vault carved from the ceiling to bring natural light into the center of the house. This vault creates a vertical counter point to the horizontally oriented central space.   

New wooden fence with yard plants and a stone pathway.

The fence provides privacy while letting light into the front yard.

  • Black and white photo of a small, single-story house with a tiled roof, surrounded by trees and a garden with plants and a pathway leading to the house.

  • The image shows the front of a house with a brick chimney, a porch with steps, a screen door, and a lantern-style light fixture. There are two small trees and some bushes in the yard, with a paved walkway leading to the porch.

  • Black-and-white photo of a kitchen with a sink, window with curtains, cabinets, and a countertop with a small bag and clothes on it.