This 3,400 sf residence for an African art dealer/collector and his family is a rusting Cor-ten steel barn on a 50 ft x 145 ft urban infill lot. The sustainable house showcases the clients' ever-changing collection of African art and furniture, and takes full advantage of Southern California's benign climate.
The pitched-roof Cor-ten steel exterior evokes African vernacular buildings.
Oversized sliding glass doors open the steel structure on two sides (sliding into wall pockets), transforming the house into an airy pavilion. Sustainable landscaping is achieved with extensive zero-scape, native plants and bark and sand ground cover.
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Appreciating the beauty in the funky.”
Los Angeles Times Magazine
The doors and operable windows promote cross-ventilation and poured in place exposed concrete floors provide thermal mass.
A safari spirit and big game motif permeate the interior. The 13 ft high, white walls of the main living space display eclectic African treasures from many regions.
Zebra-print carpeting leads to the upper floor, past a skylit moosehead hanging on the stairwell wall. In the master bedroom, which features a balcony overlooking the backyard pool, his-and-hers closets were customized for the couple's trademark styles of dress: he favors camouflage, she is devoted to animal prints.