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Architects: SPF: architects
- Area: 10000 ft²
- Year: 2010
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Photographs:John Linden
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Manufacturers: Swisspearl, Niche Modern
Text description provided by the architects. Architects: SPF:a
From the street, the crisp, white Swisspearl panels that clad the Oberfeld Residence’s exterior rise a modest 18’ from the street, by code. Tucked away on the other side of the hill, a clean, modern 10,000-square foot home contains two main floors and a basement, a grand lawn, infinity pool, and spectacular view of the Los Angeles basin below.
The home’s grand entry boasts an oversized wood door, pivoting into a courtyard-like foyer, flooded with natural light. The space is deceivingly sheltered and indoors, and is punctuated at the far end by a serene lily pond framed in core-ten steel.
The house is cut into a steep hillside with large concrete retaining walls to hold up the hill behind. In plan, the structure is an L-shape, embracing the view across its angled infinity pool. Staring back at the house from its generous private landscape, a transparent glass main level is topped by the master and family bedrooms – also clad in glass, but shielded from the sun’s intensity by a series of custom-designed vertical louvers, cut from the same Swisspearl concrete panel material that screens the street façade of the home. The vertical louvers provide a unique architectural contrast to the building’s strong horizontal elements.
The interiors feature a myriad of luxury finishes and imported stone, atop textured Mafi wood floors throughout. The 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom and 2-powder room program includes family living quarters on the upper floor, and a guest suite or maid’s quarters on the first floor of the opposing wing. The master suite includes a private balcony overlooking the pool, and features a connected his and hers bathroom and walk in closet/dressing room, day lit by Solatubes – a product that channels indirect natural light into the space during the day, and contains electrical fixtures which can be illuminated at night. Tucked away in a level below the main living space are a home theater, home office, spa suite, guest quarters and wine cellar.
The living room is adorned with floor-to-ceiling, 13-foot high glass sliders, direct views of the city, and a wall-to-wall gas fireplace. A generous bar separates the living room from a more formal dining area, which spills out onto a trellised patio for indoor/outdoor dining occasions. A large kitchen area is located just on the other side of the dining room, providing a light separation that is desirable for entertaining. Outside, the overhang from the master bedroom creates a sheltered outdoor living room.
The composition of the home is fluid, blending indoor and outdoor spaces with subtle divisions and natural material integration throughout. Ample public and private areas make the home overwhelmingly livable – a private oasis, harmoniously nestled into its urban environment.
