Culver City home creates community indoors and out

Gerun Riley and Jason Wilborn wanted to expand and revamp their two-bedroom, one-bath home in Culver City but feared they couldn’t afford the work. Enter: her brother, Noah Riley, an architect. A family project was born.

Architect Noah Riley consults with niece Lake Wilborn as her parents look on. The architect wanted to create indoor-outdoor living that suited the family’s love of cooking and entertaining.

At the entrance to the house, a cutout and storage bench serve as a miniature mudroom and creates a feeling of being in two distinct living areas at the same time.

A view of the street from the kitchen.

Because the homeowners did not want a room devoted to television viewing, the television was discreetly installed in the wall of the living room.

Architect Noah Riley wanted to create a series of spaces that were distinct but linked so that the family felt connected.

A wall divides the open kitchen and living room, creating a sense of solitude, yet the family remains in close contact.

Homeowners Jason Wilborn, holding daughter Lake, and Gerun Riley hang out in the dining room.

Gerun Riley and daughter Hadley pause on the stairs of their Culver City home.

Gerun Riley and her architect brother Noah sit in the dining area with her daughters Hadley, left, and Lake. The Rileys’ father, Jefferson, built and inscribed the dining table and shipped it in four pieces.

The kitchen and dining area flow to an outdoor eating area.

The dining area opens to a covered outdoor eating area, barbecue and fire pit that extends the footprint of the house.

Architect Noah Riley escorts his niece outside.

Architect Noah Riley draws with his niece Hadley Wilborn in the outdoor area of the home he designed and helped build.

The fire pit and outdoor lounge area. Homeowner Jason Wilborn planted olive trees, lavender, sage and other drought-tolerant plants from Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants.

Lake Wilborn enjoys the outdoor area with her father Jason.

A Zen outdoor space located off of the master bedroom. The home’s western red cedar cladding was finished with a gray oil.

The covered outdoor dining area abuts a grill and an outdoor lounge with fire pit.

The deck off of the master bedroom.

The home office is clean and spare.

Hadley Wilborn’s bedroom feaures delicate “House of Nature” wallpaper by Polish artist Katarzyna Surman.

A glass pendant by Jean Pelle in the dining room.

The open playroom at the top of the stairs allows the Wilborn girls a place to play while being within earshot of their parents. The room will become a study area when the girls are older.

Gerun Riley and daughter Lake in the Culver City house her brother designed and built for her family.