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The house is located in Venice, California- a Los Angeles beachside neighborhood known both for iconic beach bungalows built at the turn of the 20th century and architectural experimentation. This specific site is nestled on the edge of the famous “walk streets” of Venice where small lots are tightly woven together as the city stretches to the Pacific Ocean. By maintaining the integrity and proportion of the traditional Venice Beach bungalow & adding a bar slid through it, the B+B house makes an argument for the resilience of archetypes- playing out juxtaposition in a small house that speaks to both modernist volumes and ways of life.
Amidst an influx of maximized over-built sites, the project respects the cultural and architectural history of the community by building beneath both height limits and lot coverage maximums. The project values quality of life on the site and respects tightly packed urban neighborhoods without infringing upon their privacy and views and embraces the importance of livable outdoor space. The site while sandwiched closely between neighboring houses has an incredible sense of urban openness to the sky with views punctuated by palm trees. The view up and out from the inner most part of the site is the true center of the home so we created a dynamic connection between the main house & rear studio through the interior yard between.
Project collects rain water for drought tolerant landscape through use of rain barrels & a rain garden reclaiming storm water on site. Project is passively cooled by design utilizing solar powered operable skylights and only 1 mini-split unit per building in upstairs rooms for extreme heat events only. All glazing has an SHGC >0.34 & standing seam metal cool roof. Radiant solar panels used for both domestic hot water and radiant in-floor heating. Minimized use of structural steel & utilized materials with long life cycles, minimal carbon footprints from manufacturing to transportation and utilized local materials as much as possible.
The house was built for a small creative extended family who work in various ways and have a constant flux of extended family and friends that flows in and out of town on a regular basis. It was essential that all spaces have the ability to connect and retreat depending on how it might be used at present or many years into the future. The garage can house cars, music recording sessions, casual movie screenings or as a guest studio. The house feels instantly comfortable, welcoming to all and not too precious to use. Proportion and scale were carefully considered from larger formal intersections down to the varying details and directionality of material texture, pattern and rhythms. The flexible loft in the double height front room bridges the boundaries between gathering and retreat. Interior windows were punched through upstairs volumes so both cross breezes and conversations continue and flow from upstairs down to the main living areas that spill into the yard. At the upstairs studio at the rear, we peeled the roof back from ⅓ of the volume, while the opposite primary bedroom acts as a treehouse overlook creating a distinctly different experience on either side of the central outdoor living room.
We love it-It was even better than we had imagined. Lots of natural materials, very airy, really beautiful. So many hidden surprises of window and skylight placement- the way they framed views from the house, very well conceived.
Design, Bitches has a bold and irreverent vision to make architecture significant in daily life. Our multidisciplinary firm draws inspiration from our eclectic expertise in the areas of design, art, and pop culture. Based in Los Angeles, we collaborate on an international range of projects that scale from brand identity and commercial spaces to ground-up residential and cultural buildings.
Our work overtime has expanded from social spaces to include places to live life in all its diversity - from urban infill offices to single-family homes, adaptive re-use and renovation of historic landmarks.
Each design transforms a collage of influences into architecture that is beautiful and layered with meaning, but also welcoming - spaces and landscapes where people want to hang out. D,B has received many honors from the American Institute of Architects, and our work features in publications including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Architectural Record, Wallpaper and Metropolis.
