SILVERLAKE STACK UP
SILVERLAKE STACK UP
LOS ANGELES
When the Clients came to us requesting an addition, they had been living in the once 2 bedroom, 1 bath Spanish Bungalow since before they had two young kids. They had put the house on the market, but pulled it off when they realized they couldn’t find any better location. They love the schools, their proximity to work and their view and so they decided to take on a project.
The addition was designed to create a Primary Suite on the second floor, including a bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet, office and a patio to take in the view. The two first floor bedrooms were maintained as bedrooms for the girls. The downstairs bedrooms and bathroom received light makeovers, the kitchen was completely renovated, and a new stair to the master was added.
A sliding slatted door from the hallway to the stair was designed as an extension of the stair railing. When it is open it appears as if the railing wraps a wall and disappears. It covers an under stair closet door. When its closed it signifies a barrier or the need for privacy but in a much more permeable way than a conventional closed door. This sliding screen combined with the location of the sleeping area at the far most end of the upstairs addition provided the Clients enough privacy for their liking.
An en suite office is located at the top of the stairs. The second story embraces the upstairs patio on three sides. The office is connected to the bedroom by an interior door, but is also connected through the patio. This is another way that Primary Suite reflects the openness and closeness of the family. One half of the couple likes to stay up late and work and the other one likes to be nearby. The spaces have layered connections to one another while still providing areas for discreate functions.
Spectacular views from the new second floor were optimized by laying out the upper floor in a C shape around the small patio. The patio’s view is central. And it allowed for a corner window on both the office and the bedroom looking towards the downtown LA skyline.
CGA designed the built-ins and some furniture such as the bedside tables and the bookshelf located under the view window in the bedroom. As is typical in our projects, we like to layer adjustable light sources. Above the bed is a dimmable soffit light. The stairwell has soffit lighting and frameless step lights set into the wallpaper.