Anonymous Architects’ House in Trees brings a new slant to Echo Park
Los Angeles, it seems, is rediscovering its soul,’ says Simon Storey of Anonymous Architects, which featured in our Architects’ Directory 2014. He is referring to the sea change in architectural preservation in LA, but also to the new construction throughout the city, much of which is both mindful of space and elegant in its minimalist design. A case in point is the aptly titled Eel’s Nest, Storey’s much-talked-about home and studio in Echo Park, where he squeezed 960 sq ft of living space into a hemmed-in urban plot of only 780 sq ft.
A native of New Zealand, Storey has always had a fascination with LA. He moved there in 2000 to attend graduate school at SCI-Arc, and immediately began reimagining the city’s rugged topography with better-designed spaces. From homes to official buildings, the steeper the hilltop, it seems, the better it is for Storey to build on it.
House in Trees, his latest project in Echo Park, sits on one of the city’s taller hilltops. ‘Like most of the lots I work on,’ he says, ‘this is pretty steep. A large part of the design is finding the right balance.’ As you ascend the driveway at a 30-degree angle, everything still feels open and inviting. The city is a block away, yet this spot feels otherworldly, close to nature.
Storey’s clients are friends of friends. Joanie Ellen, an actress, artist and designer, is from New York. Her husband, Alexander Klein, is a philosopher from New Jersey. Both came to LA six years ago when Klein began teaching in the philosophy department of California State University, Long Beach.
‘Joanie and Alex came to the same realisation that a lot of my clients come to in LA,’ says Storey. ‘They can spend three-quarters of a million dollars on a house that is woefully inadequate on so many levels; or, for the same amount of money, they can start from scratch and get precisely what they want. The hard part, of course, is finding that vacant plot of land. They don’t seem to exist any more in most parts of town, but Joanie and Alex found this amazing plot just up the hill from my home and studio.’
When you enter the house (and there are several ways in), one of the first things you notice is that the roof surfaces slope in a number of different directions; as a result, you can see the ceiling adjusting to a different pitch. ‘The concept,’ says Storey, ‘is that you’re comfortable sitting under a tree, hence the name.’
The house also has a tree running through the middle of one of the rooms (fittingly, the children’s one, which is lined with treehouse bunk beds). ‘It was a simple decision,’ Storey says. ‘It was literally cut a tree down or work it into the design. This lot had all of these trees growing on the hilltop and we wanted to preserve as many as possible.’
An effortless flow and the indoor-outdoor comfort level are accentuated in Storey’s design: rooms bleed into each other but can also be sectioned off quite easily. There are custom bookshelves that form a staircase you can crawl up to read on. The living spaces are compact and make good use of space; you don’t feel cramped. There is natural light everywhere, as well as views shrouded in just the right amount of foliage.
‘The next stage of the house,’ Ellen says, ‘is to start on the landscape architecture. We have an outdoor room downstairs, too, with a barbecue that we’re going to set up overlooking the city.’
This almost-unheard-of hilltop plot had been vacant for a long time because the original owners had wanted to sell off the 1.5 acre plot to a single buyer. Ellen had looked at the hilltop over the years, but the large parcel of land was expensive to build on as a whole. The couple were eventually able to buy half an acre, while some fellow New Yorkers bought the remaining acre, and Storey got to work.
The couple had spent time with the architect beforehand, looking at houses, just to give them a sense of what was out there. ‘We realised it was the land we were responding to, not the houses,’ says Ellen. ‘In fact, my dogs introduced me to a park around the corner from here, and that is how we found this spot. I never thought we would build something out here. But even before we broke ground, this was already one of my favourite blocks in the city.’
As originally featured in the October 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*211)
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Anonymous Architects website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Bang & Olufsen’s Recreated Classics series continues with a CD player revival
Bang & Olufsen’s Beosystem 9000c music system brings the original digital compact disc format back to life and pairs it with the latest in speaker design
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A new book highlights the work of Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu
‘Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu: Luxury Redefined’, published by Rizzoli, traces the career of leading Istanbul-based designer Zeynep Fadillioglu, the first woman to design a mosque in Turkey
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
London gallery Incubator’s six emerging artists to see in spring 2024
Incubator's spring programme features six artists in consecutive two-week solo shows at the London, Chiltern Street gallery
By Mary Cleary Published
-
Shigeru Ban’s mini Paper Log House welcomed at The Glass House
'Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House' is shown at The Glass House in New Canaan, USA as the house museum of American architect Philip Johnson plays host to the Japanese architect’s model temporary home concept
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Ray Phoenix to rise in Arizona
Ray Phoenix housing project launches, designed by Johnston Marklee, who worked with Lamar Johnson Collaborative, for property experts Ray and Vela
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A low-energy farmhouse provides a rural escape in North Carolina
This low-energy farmhouse is a net zero architectural re-set for a Californian client, an East Coast relocation for a more engaged and low-key lifestyle
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A Petra Island house rises from Frank Lloyd Wright's original drawings
Based on Frank Lloyd Wright drawings, the cantilevering Petra Island Massaro House, located in New York’s Hudson Valley, is now open to visitors
By Craig Kellogg Published
-
An Upper West Side apartment by General Assembly nods to its history
An Upper West Side apartment in New York, born out of the reimagining of two neighbouring units, is refreshed by General Assembly for a young family
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
New York's Leica store echoes the brand's blend of heritage and innovation
Leica store throws open its doors in New York's Meatpacking District, courtesy of Brooklyn based Format Architecture Office
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Hudson Valley Residence is a low-lying retreat that seamlessly blends into the horizon
Designed by HGX Design, Hudson Valley Residence is a scenic home offering unobstructed views across the Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Boise Passive House’s bold gestures support an environmentally friendly design
Boise Passive House by Haas Architecture combines sleek, contemporary design and environmental efficiency
By Ellie Stathaki Published