US studio Walker Workshop acted as both architect and general contractor to create a southern California home that features stucco cladding and a distinctive window system.

Located in Los Angeles, the Rustic Canyon house sits on a shady site dotted with California oak and sycamore trees.

The single-storey dwelling was designed by local practice Walker Workshop for a couple and their two children. The firm also served as the general contractor.

Pinwheel-shaped, the house consists of four wings that radiate off the corners of a central space. Surrounding the wings are patios and gardens.

Exterior walls feature smooth, cream-toned stucco and large expanses of glass.

As the home extends outward from the central point, walls are reduced in height and depth to "reinforce the spoke-like character of the plan and create discrete moments for nature and views to be celebrated".

"To an extent, the interplay of these simple stucco volumes and planted areas are a modern and minimal interpretation of the classic hacienda-style home that was dominant in this region a century ago," the firm said.

Within the dwelling, there is a clear separation of public and private functions.

One wing holds the primary suite, and another contains a pair of kids' bedrooms. Just off the latter is a walled courtyard that acts as a play area.

A third wing can serve as a lounge or guest suite, and the fourth contains a garage.

The communal spaces – the living room, kitchen and dining area – are found in the central portion of the plan. Here, floor-to-ceiling glass enables "nature and light to be drawn into the center of the house at any time of day," the team said.

The architects assisted with the formation of the home's distinctive steel window system, which consists of glass panes lined with slender, black mullions.

In the living room, the window system was used to form a glazed box – a terrarium of sorts – that surrounds a succulent-filled garden and wraps around a fireplace.

In the kitchen, a window wall extends from a countertop to the 15-foot-high (4.6-metre) ceiling and offers an immersive view of a melaleuca tree grove.

Views of nature are in the main bedroom, where a large skylight enables the owners to peer up into the canopy of an oak tree. In addition, glazed sliding doors – in the bedroom and elsewhere – provide seamless access to the backyard, which features a swimming pool and native "no-mow" grass.

For interior finishes, the team used a "simple and warm" palette of materials.

Floors are covered with honey-toned oak. In the kitchen, cabinets are faced with oak in a champagne hue, and counters are topped with marble. The dining area features an accent wall made of textured Petersen brick.

Notable pieces of decor include an oak-plywood dining set designed by Walker Workshop. Suspended above is a light fixture from Apparatus.

In the living room, a low-lying sofa is paired with wood-and-leather chairs and a shaggy, diamond-patterned rug. Designer Lisa Petrazzolo carried out the home's interior design.

Walker Workshop was established by architect Noah Walker in 2010. Its other residential projects included a hilltop Beverly Hills mansion that consists of two, rotated wings linked by a central volume and clad in cedar, concrete and stucco.

The photography is by Joe Fletcher.

Project credits:

Architect and general contractor: Walker Workshop
Project team: Noah Walker, Elena Baranes, Nicholas Katona
Interiors: Lisa Petrazzolo, with art provided by Creative Art Partners