A fountain credited to Mexican architect Barragán is the centerpiece of a house remodel
When Tim Campbell was hired to redesign a Los Angeles property with a fountain credited to Mexican master architect Luis Barragán, he faced not only the pressure of building next to a potential piece of architectural history, but also the task of sorting out the jumbled house around it. Here, Campbell sits in an expansive entertaining area with sliding glass doors open to the pool and fountain. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Made of hand-chiseled cantera stone, the fountain has been re-piped and equipped to run at variable rates of flow. Though the design is described as Mayan-inspired and Barragán rarely used such fussy vernacular, the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission declared it a signature project of Barragán, an architect of international fame and an architect of great importance to contemporary Mexican culture. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Campbells design is clean and comfortable, with spaces that flow easily from one to the next with logical precision. The remodel calls upon repeating geometry for Barragán-esque beauty. The pattern of these stairs, for example, is echoed in the long skylight above. When this is viewed from just the right angle, the skylight creates the effect of steps across the ceiling. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Simple planes and the dramatic play of light define the den. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Box-shaped windows cast more patterns of light in the upstairs dining area. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
The living room, left, and the den, right. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
The bar, part of the expansive entertaining area downstairs that opens onto the courtyard fountain. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Much of the house has picturesque views of the fountain’s red stone. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Campbell, the residential designer behind the remodel of the house in Los Angeles Beverly Crest neighborhood. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Water cascades down 10 stepped ledges. When anyone wants to use the pool as additional patio space, it can be drained without affecting the operation of the fountain. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Before and after: For me, Campbell said, the house is the gallery, and the fountain is the art. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
