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Like a nature preserve off busy Laurel Canyon

When a family friend suggested to Corrine Glass that she buy the Studio City lot, her response was: "You're absolutely out of your mind." The parcel had stood vacant for decades, declared unbuildable by previous would-be buyers. Its steep slope made construction impractical, and a creek ran though the feral landscape. But three years and more than a few panic attacks later, Glass has a house that is a realm of peace and quiet. From her minimalist, open-plan kitchen, dining area and living room, she can admire her former nemeses: the wooded hill and burbling creek, now defining features of the home. While city traffic rushes by the front of the house, wilderness beckons from behind.
When a family friend suggested to Corrine Glass that she buy the Studio City lot, her response was: “You’re absolutely out of your mind.” The parcel had stood vacant for decades, declared unbuildable by previous would-be buyers. Its steep slope made construction impractical, and a creek ran though the feral landscape.

But three years and more than a few panic attacks later, Glass has a house that is a realm of peace and quiet. From her minimalist, open-plan kitchen, dining area and living room, she can admire her former nemeses: the wooded hill and burbling creek, now defining features of the home. While city traffic rushes by the front of the house, wilderness beckons from behind.
(Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
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The traffic out front can be terrible and the stream in back posed even more problems. What architects crafted here represents an L.A. coup: beauty, peace and privacy on the toughest of city lots.

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