Westridge

Perched atop the West ridge of Mandeville canyon with sweeping views of downtown Los Angeles to the East, Santa Monica Bay to the South and the length of Sullivan Canyon to the West, the Martin house was a celebration of its distinct site. Built as the architect’s home (his second in Los Angeles), the house was a celebration of its location and its spectacular views executed through a series of phenomenally transparent yet discrete spaces.  Elegant courtyards and terraces abut the more public of the interior rooms, offering themselves as extensions into the open air. Similarly, the clever use of large pocket doors served to either define the boundary or allow the overlap of proximate spaces.  For all the grandeur of the public spaces, the private spaces, in contrast, were nest-like and exceptionally cozy. The bedrooms and offices provided intimate seclusion. Despite the decidedly modern spaces, the rooms were softened through the use of warm materials, delicate colors and soft textures.

In some instances, mitered glass corners dissolve the interior volume, allowing panoramic vistas to spill in from the exterior.  In contrast, certain adjacent views of the garden and landscape are featured more intimately through selective framing.

These framed views are invitations to venture outside and descend into sprawling gardens which, like the architecture above, is rich with discreet moments for pause. The borrowing of the nearby landscapes at other areas of the garden allow for an integration of the distant into the immediate, an effect that firmly situates the house in its more general context. 

— William Nicholas