The founder of architecture firm Assembledge+ has completed a house for himself in Los Angeles featuring walls that seem to completely disappear to open up to a garden.
David Thompson and his practice Assembledge+ designed the residence in the foothills of Laurel Canyon, a neighbourhood in a ravine in the Hollywood Hills region.
Because of its isolated setting, it aimed to create fluidity between indoors and outdoors that imagines the surrounding landscape as the exterior walls.
"The entire site here is treated as we are accustomed to treating interiors," said the studio.
"The surrounding trees and hills are taken to be the building envelope and the exterior walls of the house are reconceived as a series of partition walls."
The property, called Laurel Hills Residence, comprises three low-lying volumes arranged around two outdoor spaces. A courtyard is at the centre and a back garden has a swimming pool. The outdoor areas are landscaped with gravel, paving stones, grass and plants.
Large amounts of glazing puncture the wood-clad walls to create vistas through interiors to the outdoors. This includes pocket doors that are designed to open up walls entirely.
"The grounds are interlocked with the interior space and the entire ensemble is activated by the purposeful arrangement of deeply layered sightlines, vignettes and circulation connections," the firm added.
The three volumes are built with simple materials – western red cedar cladding, glass and dark cement board rooftops – and host a different function.
A guesthouse fronts the property, while a slender block that runs the length of the house is occupied by the bedrooms. The master bedroom suite is located at the far end with access to the garden.
The third block is much larger so that its roof has enough space for over 50 solar panels.
Inside, it contains a kitchen and breakfast room, and dining room, with steps that lead down to separate spaces for a family room and lounge. The latter has sliding glass doors that open onto the pool and patio.
The patio beside the pool features a fire pit and sofa by outdoor furniture company Gloster that is reminiscent of indoor decor – providing a nod to the concept behind the property.
White-painted walls and ceilings, and pale wooden flooring run throughout the interior of the 4,900-square-foot (455-square-metre) residence. Bold details offset the neutral palette, such as black cabinetry and a marble island in the kitchen.
The dining room teams a weathered wooden table designed by Reeve Schley, yellow chairs by B&B Italia and colourful artwork by Christina Craemer and Bradley Duncan.
Thompson, who founded his firm in 1997, is among a number of architects and designers that have created homes for themselves.
Other self-designed homes are John Pawson's minimally styled London house, the skinny Rotterdam residence of Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn Boterman and a Chicago home and studio for architect Jeff Klymson.
Photography is by Matthew Millman. Video is by Jeff Ebner.
Project credits:
Design team: David Thompson, Greg Marin, Raul Aguilera
Structural engineer: CM Peck
Contractor: Assembledge+
Landscape design: Fiore Landscape Design
Interior design: Susan Mitnick Design