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. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
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.
Glass originally wanted to build toward the back on the lot, at the top of her slope. But when that concept proved too expensive, she called in architect Aaron Neubert to devise Plan B. Collaborating with architect Mike Jacobs, Neubert crafted a two-story, light-filled modern set at the base of the slope and oriented to the hillside. This photo, taken by the dining area and kitchen, shows how the free-flowing space unfolds toward the living area and backyard deck, which Corrine Glass and her husband, Rob, love. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
The large kitchen and open floor plan have allowed the couple to entertain more than 100 people. “It felt like we could have fit even more,” Corrine Glass says. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
The living area, looking back toward the kitchen. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
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The interiors make the most of the bucolic hillside, and sometimes the house’s connection to its surroudings is surprisingly strong. One day the couple was on the deck admiring the foot-wide creek, icy and clear, whisking fallen leaves to parts unknown, then Rob Glass headed back inside. Honey, he said, there’s a giant cat in the house. Honey, she responded, that’s not a cat. Intruding raccoons notwithstanding, the owners say they love what feels like a private little wildlife sanctuary. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Loft like, but with a wooded landscape out back. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Architects Mike Jacobs, left, and Aaron Neubert on the backyard deck. Los Angeles building codes required the envelope of the house to be set back 15 feet from the toe of the hillside. To provide more living space and to connect indoors with outdoors, sliding glass doors open onto a breakaway deck that, in the event of a hill slide, would separate and slip under the house rather than into it. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Stairs lead to bedrooms upstairs, where the loft-like design of the public spaces downstairs is jettisoned in favor of a more traditional layout. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
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From the landing of the stairs, the 2,900-square-foot house seems to glow, an elegantly simple white cube adorned by the ethereal landscapes of Los Angeles artist Miguel Osuna. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Afternoon sunlight streams into the master bedroom, which is cantilevered slightly over the backyard and yields more views of the wooded hill behind the house. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
“Everybody thought I was out of my mind,” Corrine Glass says, remembering when she decided to buy the land. “I was taken by how lush the lot was. It was covered with bushes and trees, and it had this nature feel to it.” (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Cars rush past the front of the house, making the peace created inside by the architects all the more remarkable. As Southern California grows more dense and as architects and urban planners are forced to redefine what’s “livable,” this house stands as an unlikely success: a measure of calm and solitude in an increasingly frenetic and crowded city.
For a peek inside more examples of interesting design, check out our Homes of The Times gallery. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
