Perched on a ridgeline overlooking the canyon to its west, the Seven Summits Residence is a 15,000 square foot luxury estate located in an exclusive enclave of homes at the outskirts of Los Angeles. The residence balances the conservative, vernacular character of the surrounding neighborhood with a contemporary design palette, juxtaposing gabled roof forms and a shingle-clad exterior with expansive glass and metal elevations which provide an unprecedented degree of connectivity between interior and exterior. The project is organized as a series of five splayed volumes which fan outward toward the view to the west, cantilevering over the landscape beneath. As day gives way to night, the glass walls of each individual volume glow, lanterns levitating over the darkening hillside below.

Arriving guests are greeted by a series of grand steps lined with olive trees and sheltered by the cantilevered form of the gabled roof overhead. Twin chandeliers and a two-story floor-to-ceiling glass entryway beckon visitors inward to the grand foyer. From this vantage point, the view extends through the great room to the backyard and pool beyond, instantly melding inside and out.

The residence includes a diversity of spaces for entertaining: a grand central gallery for large gatherings flanked by indoor and outdoor lounges, a bar, as well as an outdoor kitchen and sheltered poolside dining terrace. More intimate spaces include a library, den, wine cellar and large screening room, whose softly lit faceted interior steps down to a stage. A gym and adjacent spa provide spaces for recreation and relaxation, clad in warm stone and marble with views of the surrounding landscape. A central gallery bisects the residence, linking its individual volumes; at the houses’ center a large spiral stair overlooking an adjacent courtyard. The second floor of the home is given over to bedrooms, seven in total, as well as a central family room overlooking the foyer beneath. The master suite includes a bedroom and bath with floor-to-ceiling glazing facing west and a large sitting room with views to the east.<

Each of these interior spaces each open onto an exterior courtyard whose granite surface is inscribed with a linear water feature and the gnarled figure of a 50-year-old olive tree at its center. On the south side of the home a large garden provides spaces for gatherings, including a shaded pergola and seating for up to 50 as well as a basketball court. The north side of the site provides access to the garage, which can house up to twelve cars. A long colonnade stretches from the main residence to a smaller guest house, whose roof is a twinned version of the larger home’s gabled form. The unique landscape of the two acre site, also designed by 64North, includes sheltering Australian Willows, Sweetshade Trees, New Zealand Tea Trees, Oaks, varying fruit trees, columns of cedars, stately rows of olives, and broad expanses of fescue interspersed with more wild patches of buffalo grass. Nine distinct species of lavender line the driveway and the ridge, creating a lush and wild counterpoint to the residence and its interior.