A contemporary home in Los Angeles by Quinn Architects makes the most of its tranquil surroundings

Located on the site of an existing house, which was demolished to make way for this approximately 15,000 sq ft contemporary villa, Faring Road House is a sophisticated modern home fit for its glamorous location in Los Angeles' Bel Air neighbourhood. Designed by East London-based architecture firm Quinn Architects, headed by Laurence Quinn, the house sits on a generous sloped site looking towards the Hollywood Hills.
Luscious gardens surround the white-rendered property, helping to shield it from prying eyes. Its tranquil surroundings were in fact one of the key elements that informed the team's design decisions. Say the architects: 'A detailed soil survey was commissioned to understand the below-ground condition of the hillside, which then became a catalyst for both the architectural, civil and structural design'. Now, the home's carefully landscaped gardens include a tennis court and a sunken gym.
A dramatic route leads the visitor up from the street entrance to the building's front door. A cascading stone staircase guides to the house. It highlights 'a sense of arrival', explain the architects. The considerably-sized structure is spread across three floors, peering from the site's natural slope, white-walled and lined with contrasting dark American black walnut flooring inside.
The high-ceilinged interior features living, kitchen and dining areas, three bedrooms, walk-in wardrobes, office space and a games room. The main living accommodation spans 7,000 sq ft, which is matched by 6,500 sq ft of open terraces that include an infinity pool and jacuzzi. Large openings overlook the terraces, while a guest suite located next to the main house offers an extra three bedrooms.
A key point in the client's brief was for the house to accommodate the display of a significant art collection, which made the strategic use of light seminal to the architectural solution. Employing skylights, clerestory windows and gallery level lighting, Quinn and his team have created a space with the right balance of natural and artificial lighting, a perfect home environment for their art-savvy client.
A cascading stone staircase leads visitors to the house, highlighting 'a sense of arrival'
The main living accommodation spans 7,000 sq ft, which is matched by 6,500 sq ft of open terraces that include an infinity pool and jacuzzi
The considerably-sized structure is spread across three floors, white-walled and lined with contrasting dark American black walnut flooring inside
The high-ceilinged interior features living, kitchen and dining areas, three bedrooms, walk-in wardrobes, office space and a games room
Long sofas emphasise the proportions of the living area
A key point in the client's brief was for the house to accommodate the display of a significant art collection
A marble-clad stairwell is lined with customised recessed lighting
In addition to a generous master suite, the property boasts six other elegant bedrooms
Mature trees create a natural boundary around the residence, shielding it from prying eyes
The home's carefully landscaped gardens include a tennis court and a sunken gym
An existing home was demolished to make way for the 14,500 sq ft villa
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
London Design Festival 2025: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
From 11-21 September, London is celebrating design in all its forms. Here's the latest news, launches and other goings-on from London Design Festival 2025, as seen by Wallpaper* editors
-
Inside Ardbeg House, the whimsical Islay hotel from the Scotch distillery
‘Luxury with a laugh’ is how Russell Sage describes his designs for the new hotel, where each room draws on island and whisky lore
-
Luxury cruise line Explora Journeys will set sail in Asia for the first time
28 voyages across Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore will mark the luxury travel brand’s debut in the region
-
Meet Studio Zewde, the Harlem practice that's creating landscapes 'rooted in cultural narratives, ecology and memory'
Ahead of a string of prestigious project openings, we check in with firm founder Sara Zewde
-
The best of California desert architecture, from midcentury gems to mirrored dwellings
While architecture has long employed strategies to cool buildings in arid environments, California desert architecture developed its own distinct identity –giving rise, notably, to a wave of iconic midcentury designs
-
A restored Eichler home is a peerless piece of West Coast midcentury modernism
We explore an Eichler home, and Californian developer Joseph Eichler’s legacy of design, as a fine example of his progressive house-building programme hits the market
-
How LA's Terremoto brings 'historic architecture into its next era through revitalising the landscapes around them'
Terremoto, the Los Angeles and San Francisco collective landscape architecture studio, shakes up the industry through openness and design passion
-
How architects are redefining disaster relief through design
Disaster relief architecture is a critical component of humanitarian aid across the globe; read our ultimate guide on how architects can make a difference through design
-
Inside a Donald Wexler house so magical, its owner bought it twice
So transfixed was Daniel Patrick Giles, founder of fragrance brand Perfumehead, he's even created a special scent devoted to it
-
The Pagani Residences is the latest ultra-luxe automotive apartment tower to reach Miami
Rising up above Miami, branded apartment buildings are having a renaissance, as everyone from hypercar builders to crystal makers seeks to have a towering structure bearing their name
-
A modern cabin in Minnesota serves as a contemporary creative retreat from the city
Snow Kreilich Architects' modern cabin and studio for an artist on a lakeside plot in Minnesota was designed to spark creativity and provide a refuge from the rat race