STYLE : ARCHITECTURE : Hillside Hollows

This is a man-made vision of what a hillside should be,” says Steven Ehrlich of the three-story house he designed in Santa Monica Canyon. The clients outgrew their old house and needed lots of space for themselves, their three children and live-in help. So they commissioned Ehrlich, architect of the new Sony Music headquarters in Santa Monica and a neighbor who built his own hillside home, to create what he calls “a peaceful environment that is at one with nature.”

A habitable sculpture, the house consists of floating floor planes, corner windows and mahogany canopies cut into white concrete stucco, all of which recall the work of R. M. Schindler. Steps lead up from the street to the main floor, which sits atop the garage and basement service rooms. Living and dining rooms open off the entrance hall; beyond are the open kitchen and family room.

Crisp, light-filled rooms are warmed by floors of oak and sienna slate and by cabinetry of light ash and reddish cherry. The kitchen and family room, which lead to the garden, have floors of easy-to-clean blue linoleum. An eclectic choice of contemporary furnishings and modern classics creates another layer of sculptural elegance and sensuous texture. But this is much more than a showcase of tasteful design. It is a joyful, uninhibited house, animated by the energy of its owners and by the laughter of children. Says Ehrlich: “My own house was remodeled from an existing structure; here, I had the freedom to create something new.”