Oakdell Residence

Nestled in the hillsof the Fryman Canyon Estates area in Studio City, California, the OakdellResidence is a remodel and addition to an existing 1960’s mid-century home. Originally built in 1957, the one-story, 3,900 square feet property remained akind of a midcentury time capsule until rejuvenated by Assembledge+. At the heart of theoriginal design was a saw-tooth floor plan that offered views in multipledirections. However, beyond this core, the floor plan was congested andconnectivity throughout the home and site was limited. The client’s wish was tocreate an airy and light space throughout maximizing views of the surroundinglandscape while drawing on the home’s already existing strengths. A meandering path ofconcrete panels, set amidst the landscaping and decomposed granite, leads tothe entry foyer of the house, comprised of a frameless glass wall withfloatable four windows. Together with the floor-to-ceiling windows and slidingglass doors on the other side of the house the residence gives a sense oftransparency, bringing in ample light and extending the living area outside,into the landscape. The main livingareas include a living room, a bar/game room, a dining room with seating foreight and a kitchen; all visually connected by zig-zag-sliding doors that opento the garden. The sawtooth motif is repeated once more to produce a new familyroom that descends two steps below the main floor and extends into the rear ofthe site. The kitchen - moved towards the centre of the house - rises slightlyabove the family room, maintaining views across the site, and features twointerconnected skylights across the centre island and white marble walls. The two-storyaddition consists of a new bedroom wing, extended toward the rear of the siteon the main level, and new office space on the lower level, tucked below. Bothtake the advantage of the descending lot and are fully integrated into thehillside. A minimalist paletteof stone, hardwood floor and white plaster echoes the qualities of the existinghome and preserves its original spirit and character. Similarly, the thin roofplane maintains mid-century horizontality while the broad overhangs protect theextensive full-height windows and sliding doors from the sun. Positioned in theflattening terrain of Fryman Canyon near its convergence with Laurel Canyon,the residence site is surrounded by trees and hills and, descending gently fromthe street, thereby at once visually engaging but also easily terraced andoccupied. The sawtooth interior spaces and projecting wings of the home produceand interlock with equivalent exterior spaces so that the home is embedded --or woven -- into a tiered landscape of drought-tolerant plants, decomposedgranite, a pool, and board-formed concrete garden walls. Architecture DesignTeam: Assembledge+: David Thompson (Principal in Charge), Gregory Marin Interior Design:Lisa Strong Design | Susan Mitnick Design Studio Landscape: FioreLandscape Design Contractor: DobkinConstruction StructuralEngineering: Peck