While working on the primary residence of a Hollywood actor, author, and producer, Los Angeles architects John Bertram and Eliot Mitchell have been requested to work on another exceptional building at the rear of the property. Located on a beautiful lot supporting Los Angeles’s Griffith Park, the customer wanted to make use of a steep hillside and build a studio for him to write in. The original vision was a crude, rustic cabin — something with a teahouse feel. However, because the design developed, the writer’s studio become a studio and guest house, and also the aesthetic changed considerably.
Due to the epic view, the customer originally wanted to make use of the scenery and install a wall made completely out of windows. That wasn’t the best choice in terms of performance, so Bertram and Mitchell opted to construct a exceptional corner window unit which took advantage of the beautiful view. The result is a construction which uses the perspective because of its inspiration and blends with its environment. The 300-square- foot studio is warm, natural and simply furnished — the ideal escape that is likely to force the customer out of any bouts of writer’s block.
Bertram Architects
The architects had originally done a complete remodel on the customer’s house just down the mountain in the studio. Throughout the renovation process, the customer told Bertram and Mitchell that he really wanted to construct a tiny studio/guest home on the hillside behind his home. A contemporary appearance was a necessity, but Bertram and Mitchell also wanted to give the studio a warm, cabin-like vibe which melded together with the landscape.
Bertram Architects
The studio features an amazing view from three of its four sides. The customer as well as the architects knew that sliding windows which pocket fully into the construction were a must. Mitchell and Bertram wanted to be certain that you use the perspective in a practical and efficient manner, which explains why there is no corner place in this window.
Bertram Architects
“It’s always sort of interesting when an architect needs to convince a customer that a wall of glass might not be the best decision,” says Mitchell. “Even though you don’t need to block any part of the beautiful view, sometimes it’s simply not practical.” Since the construction is an office most of the time, and can be in extremely sunny Los Angeles, having an whole glass facade would have allowed in a lot of light during the day, making it unbearably hot inside.
Bertram Architects
The facade and deck of the studio are produced from Ipe wood, which can be both lasting and fire-resistant — a huge advantage for someone living in fire state.
In one of the chief designs for the studio, the customer wanted the deck to go all of the way around the studio. “It turned into a bit smaller, and then a bit larger,” laughs Mitchell. “Finally, we adjusted it to what it has become, which I think is ideal for the space”
The steep hillside turned into a fairly major challenge. “It was hard to simply receive all the stuff on the website and work on the building due to the steepness and height of the mountain,” says Mitchell. “We needed to really build a strong foundation, which took a while.”
Bertram Architects
Regions of the foundationhad to be hand dug deep into the hill’s bedrock. “It’s just the type of thing which comes with using a home in the Los Angeles hills,” says Mitchell. “You’ve got to realize there’s going to be a lot of foundation work.”
Stone steps (just barely visible in this photograph ) lead up from the principal home to the home on the mountain, and steps made of Ipe travel from a stone landing to the studio’s deck. The desert-like landscaping, designed by Elysian Landscapes, adds to the warmth of their studio and its environment.
Bertram Architects
Teak built-ins and a simple twin bed transform this studio right into a guest home — or somewhere to have a rest if writer’s block strikes. The teak built-in bed and shelving not only adds to the studio’s streamlined aesthetic, but in addition, it functions as a type of earthquake security (another dilemma which comes with living in Southern California). With everything assembled into the walls , there’s no possibility of ruined property or injured individuals after a critical tremor. “Earthquake security is pretty inherent once you’re working in LA,” says Mitchell. “Structural codes demand it, as well as the deep foundation of the studio and the impact wall on the trunk really serve as preventative steps.”
Bertram Architects
A very contemporary half-bath can help to round out this studio because a possible guest home. Bertram and Mitchell used a Duravit Starck two Toilet, and fixtures from Vola. A neon orange panel livens up the toilet with a surprising splash of colour.
Bertram Architects
Zoning laws dictated that the studio couldn’t have a complete bath, so Bertram and Mitchell resisted the indoor half-bath with an outdoor bathtub from Boffi. The secluded nature of the studio and its own exterior deck, together with the balmy weather of Los Angeles, made an outdoor shower a natural match.
Bertram Architects
For the outside, Bertram and Mitchell tried something fresh and installed a rain screen method. The outer facade includes a 1/4-inch space between each plank, making it permeable. The Ipe wood will expand and contract together with the fluctuations in weather and dampness, so the boards were placed on a clip system which allows them to move. The air circulation makes for a much healthier wood and aids the building stay cooler.
Bertram Architects
Besides working with the website’s incline of the website, the corner window unit was the key challenge. Due to its delicate structure, everything had to be perfect. The framework on the outside of the window is made of aluminum, and has a gutter underneath to capture any runoff water from the window. The interior includes a teak frame with a roll-down colour and light on the lip above the desk. “It was a really careful structure,” says Mitchell. “It involved a great deal of work, and a great deal of assistance in the builders and the contractors. The collaboration on that aspect was fantastic.”
Bertram Architects
The sliding structure of the window allows it to start completely, together with the glass sliding into a pocket within the building itself. “This window is one of these classic, contemporary details that looks really straightforward, but is incredibly complicated,” says Mitchell. “We needed to go back and forth with the builder on the how-to for quite a while.”
Bertram Architects
The construction of the window and built in desk is meant to allow the view to continue on into the room and become a fixture at the studio. “People have a tendency to gravitate towards views like this,” says Mitchell. “Whether it’s a body of water or a mountain range, looking at something amazing like that becomes a source of inspiration and quietude.”
Throughout construction, a great deal of things were flipped, and whole concepts were scrapped. “It was really a fantastic luxury,” explains Mitchell. “It’s great to truly be able to suss it out together with the customer. You don’t always have the time or capability to figure out all the details, redesign and make it work.”
Bertram Architects
The teak built-ins, shown here prior to the customer moved in, were designed to blend in the rest of the interior simply, smoothly, and efficiently. In the beginning, the customer wanted to possess the studio accomplished in a wealthy American black walnut, since that is what he has in his principal residence. Eventually he and the architects decided this studio ought to be done at a really different tone from the main home, taking the project in another direction entirely.
Bertram Architects
A conscientious design, an ability to be flexible, plus a smooth transition between the indoors and outside all combined to create a structure that is beautiful, powerful, and efficient. “Seeing the distance come together and emerge successfully at the end is always the best part,” says Mitchell. “All the parties involved in this collaboration were really uplifting. And the customer uses this studio all the time — that can be incredibly satisfying.”
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