Jerome Byron's LA guesthouse is a curious architectural folly
A wooden architectural folly, Monon Guesthouse, sits in the a back garden of a family home in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Los Feliz, courtesy of Jerome Byron

Luke Sirimongkhon - Photography
A curious wooden structure has emerged in a back garden in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Los Feliz. Nestled behind a hillside property, this is Monon Guesthouse, the latest work by Californian architectural designer Jerome Byron; and its unusual appearance and architectural folly-like, pavillion nature was not a coincidence. ‘As a commission, the guest house was meant to spark creativity and imagination for both the husband and wife, an entrepreneur and writer, and their two young children,' explains Byron.
The guesthouse, spanning two levels and some 245 sq ft, now sits among rich foliage in a finely landscaped architectural garden. The levels, pathways and planting were designed by LA office Terremoto, who came into the site first, reimagining it with a wild and graphic garden of cacti and grasses. The small cabin-like addition was going to be added among this natural environment.
Terremoto invited Byron to work on the guesthouse. ‘[I] began to dream of a childlike, treehouse structure, a kind of garden folie for kids and parents at the back of the garden,' he recalls.
The final result is remarkably similar to the designer's initial sketch – a small structure using clean lines, unusual proportions and primary geometries. At the same time, detailing was very important, both in the sense of craft and building, but also in the internal composition and spatial complexity. The space may be small but there's room enough for an office nook, a built-in couch with mohair cushions, two vintage pinball machines and a detachable ladder that leads up to the sleeping area.
Cedar decking in the garden continues as cladding around the guesthouse, visually connecting the existing, main house and its little annex. At the same time, the natural material feels right at home in the garden setting. Smooth plywood wraps the interior, further elevating the folly through playful accents, such as the ladder's bright yellow colour and a round window punched through the facade.
‘The large circular window is playfully eclipsed by a large Noguchi globe pendant, a circle within a circle that emphasizes the theme of primary forms,' says Byron. ‘At night, the plants cast wild-thing shadows against the playhouse, the Noguchi lamp shines like a soft, captured moon.'
INFORMATION
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).
- Luke Sirimongkhon - PhotographyPhotography
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week
Much of our team was in Copenhagen for 3 Days of Design this week. For those left basking in the London heatwave, it was architecture workshops, photography exhibitions and two very different performances: ballet and Britpop
-
The best bars in London for bartending greatness
From chic hotel cocktail classics to game-changing flavour combinations, our resident drinks correspondent, Neil Ridley, explores ten of the best bars in London
-
Milan Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
From 20-23 June, Milan Fashion Week Men’s arrives in the Italian fashion capital. Follow along for a first look at the shows, presentations and other fashion happenings, as seen by the Wallpaper* editors
-
A New Zealand house on a rugged beach exemplifies architect Tom Kundig's approach in rich, yet understated luxury
This coastal home, featured in 'Tom Kundig: Complete Houses', a new book launch in the autumn by Monacelli Press, is a perfect example of its author's approach to understated luxury. We spoke to Tom Kundig, the architect behind it
-
Tour architect Paul Schweikher’s house, a Chicago midcentury masterpiece
Now hidden in the Chicago suburbs, architect Paul Schweikher's former home and studio is an understated midcentury masterpiece; we explore it, revisiting a story from the Wallpaper* archives, first published in April 2009
-
The world of Bart Prince, where architecture is born from the inside out
For the Albuquerque architect Bart Prince, function trumps form, and all building starts from the inside out; we revisit a profile from the Wallpaper* archive, first published in April 2009
-
Is embracing nature the key to a more fire-resilient Los Angeles? These landscape architects think so
For some, an executive order issued by California governor Gavin Newsom does little to address the complexities of living within an urban-wildland interface
-
Hop on this Fire Island Pines tour, marking Pride Month and the start of the summer
A Fire Island Pines tour through the work of architecture studio BOND is hosted by The American Institute of Architects New York in celebration of Pride Month; join the fun
-
A Laurel Canyon house shows off its midcentury architecture bones
We step inside a refreshed modernist Laurel Canyon house, the family home of Annie Ritz and Daniel Rabin of And And And Studio
-
A refreshed Rockefeller Wing reopens with a bang at The Met in New York
The Met's Michael C Rockefeller Wing gets a refresh by Kulapat Yantrasast's WHY Architecture, bringing light, air and impact to the galleries devoted to arts from Africa, Oceania and the Ancient Americas
-
A Fire Island house for two sisters reimagines the beach home typology
Coughlin Scheel Architects’ Fire Island house is an exploration of an extended family retreat for the 21st century