Like brother, like sister: two siblings design two new Los Angeles homes
![The identical Brother & Sister Houses are built on adjacent plots.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qYdavgeMPPLUoYZTTaWq3h-415-80.jpg)
Anonymous Architects are no strangers to outwitting building rules and regulations - take for example their upside down Car Park House in LA, where residents drive straight onto the roof, eliminating the need for a garage or an unsightly parking space. But their most recent project, the Brother and Sister House, may be their most intelligent design yet.
Architect Simon Storey collaborated with his sister Anna Gregory to design the aptly named Brother and Sister houses, located in the hills of Los Angeles. The two almost identical houses are built on adjacent plots and separated by a quirky take on the white picket fence.
This project embodies Anonymous' signature simple yet thoughtful design. The complex's modest cedar cladding eschews any extravagance and allows the buildings to interact sensitively with their tree-filled site. The two volumes are cantilevered on concrete blocks, lightly floating above the ground, thus preserving much-coveted garden space beneath the houses.
Take an interactive tour of Brother & Sister House
The main challenge facing the architects was the small size of the plots, measuring roughly 200 square metres each. 'Often building code limitations are so great there is little to no freedom to control the footprint of the building', explains Storey. Here however, in true Anonymous style, the team worked its way around this restriction.
The two designs started off as two simple box shapes. By punching large windows out of each main volume's thick walls, the architects increased the houses' internal space by 10%, transforming them into pieces of furniture the owners can use. Protruding bay windows reach out and embrace the landscape, allowing residents to feel part of their surroundings. Similarly, a rectangular shape cut out of each box creates a sheltered outdoor living area, useable come rain or shine.
Inside, wood remains the star of the show. Storey explains that 'the main goal for the design was to make a small building feel large', and by using the same white oak for the floors, cabinets and doors, the architects create the illusion of a much larger space. The rough concrete walls in the bedroom bring the outside in, drawing on the external concrete pillars whilst adding to interior's natural, tactile feel. The beauty of these houses comes not from superfluous, space-consuming ornamentation but instead from the simplicity of necessity.
The houses are entered via the top floor and a narrow entrance corridor that leads into one light-filled living-cum-dining space. The architects wanted to 'allow as much natural light as possible to penetrate the house' and this is witnessed downstairs, where light passes through the bathroom and floods into the hallway, making this often-enclosed space feel bright and roomy. Two bedrooms off this hallway offer a cosier, more private space for the owners - who can still remain connected to the surroundings via the large openings that frame the trees.
The architects cleverly push bay windows out of the boxy houses to increase interior space without infringing on the building restrictions of the small plot
Clad in cedar, the houses sit naturally in the woody landscape
A cut out balcony area offers a sheltered outdoor space to relax and enjoy the views come rain or shine
The Brother & Sister Houses cantilever over a steep slope in Los Angeles, freeing up the space below for a garden area
Wood is the star of the show, both inside and out
By keeping the design minimal, the house becomes a celebration of natural materials
The windows become useable spaces, where occupants can eat and even sleep amongst the treetops
A well positioned window in the bathroom allows the light to flood through into the downstairs corridor
The tactile concrete wall in the bedroom mirrors the rocky surroundings of the site
The large square windows frame the landscape and allow natural light to flood the spaces, making the house feel brighter and larger
A mix of marble and wood creates a feeling of modest luxury in the bathroom
The architect makes the most of the small plots and creates maximum internal space by using a simple box-shaped design
Frosted windows allow as much light as possible to enter the spaces, while maintaining privacy
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
IM Pei's Everson Museum of Art gets a modern makeover
The East Wing of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY has been given a contemporary refresh by emerging Los Angeles studio MILLIØNS
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Black Modernism’s lesser-known, at-risk architecture gems gain a lifeline
Conserving Black Modernism announces vital funding to save and preserve overlooked and endangered buildings by African American architects and designers
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Step into the Blanton Museum of Art's reimagined public realm by Snøhetta in Austin
Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas is completed and reveals its reimagined public realm and plaza designed by Snøhetta
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This New York Townhouse renovation is a lesson in contemporary minimalism
TenBerke’s carefully considered New York townhouse is the reimagining of a century-old Manhattan structure that reframes vertical living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Visit The Frost House, a lesser-known modernist architecture marvel in Michigan City
The Frost House is a lesser-known midcentury architecture gem in Michigan City, Indiana; we took the tour as the property goes on the market
By Audrey Henderson Published
-
Broadway designer Scott Pask’s Arizona retreat is a scene-stealing discovery
Scott Pask invites us inside his Arizona retreat, nestled in the foothills overlooking Tucson – a place to reboot, recharge and commune with nature
By Michael Webb Published
-
Upstate New York retreat Ridge House evokes land art
Ridge House in upstate New York, the work of Brooklyn-based studio Worrell Yeung, is at one with the surrounding countryside
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Rafael de Cárdenas’ first ground-up project is a forever home with waterfront views and hidden treasures
Rafael de Cárdenas reveals his latest completed project in the Pacific Northwest, a family home of calming spaces that bleed the outside in, and ten years in the making
By Ellie Stathaki Published