Open to new ideas

On a block of 1950s bungalows that include a faux Swiss chalet and a French country house, architect Annette Wiley has remodeled a home that now speaks very much to Southern California in the 21st century.

The goal behind remodeling her personal Corona del Mar residence was to create a contemporary design with environmentally friendly materials and practices -- and without overbuilding for the neighborhood.

“It took 14 months to do the renovation,” Wiley says, “because all the lumber, stone and cabinets were reused and recycled.”

The 2,600-square-foot house has Energy Star appliances, a tankless water heater, a rooftop photovoltaic system. Water is conserved with dual-flush, low-flow toilets and with the xeriscape plants outside.

But the green design goes beyond solar panels and fluorescent bulbs. Custom cabinetry made of sustainable ash banishes the visual coldness that can haunt some modern spaces. Operable clerestory windows are strategically placed for cross ventilation, making air conditioning unnecessary, Wiley says. The abundance of natural light imbues the house’s simple, sleek lines with warmth. Almost every window yields garden views.

Sculptural succulents are poised out front. Purists may contest the backyard’s small recirculating fountain spilling into a spa, but Wiley says that it runs only an hour a day to mask traffic noise and that the house’s overall energy consumption is low. With bamboo and loquat trees lending color and texture, the home achieves privacy and peace on a lot that’s less than 7,200 square feet.

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latimes.com/home

A 1950s tract house made modern

Get a closer look at Annette Wiley’s Corona del Mar house and garden. The full-color extended photo gallery is posted with this article online.