Nestled in the hills of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles ­– an area that is a special enclave of mid-century residences that include neighbors such as Case Study #21 by Pierre Koenig built in 1959 – the design of the Wonderland Park Residence has been primarily driven by the motivation to extend the precedent established by the midcentury sensibilities in the area.

 The scheme of the project involved a second-floor addition which occupies the master bedroom suite and allows the homeowners to feel as though they lived among the trees. Cladded in sustainably harvested Western Red Cedar, and with the rising master bedroom, the Wonderland Park Residence evokes the notion of a tree house.

 The open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling aluminum sliding doors, acting like moving windows, extend the living space on the first floor from the front yard all the way through the house to the back yard and pool. The kitchen acts as the ‘heart’ of the residence, connecting the social and private areas while providing views to the pool and surrounding landscape. The transparency continues upstairs, achieved through frameless, glass-cornered windows, and allowing for vistas into the forested surroundings and native vegetation of this Los Angeles canyon.

The formal response of the roof is as if the structure is growing out of the landscape, sitting atop of glass structure below. Its separation from the house gives the floor plan below a sense of freedom and fluidity.

The house utilizes sustainable technologies including; a solar photovoltaic system along with a grey water system for landscape irrigation, caesarstone countertops and formaldehyde-free MDF kitchen and bath cabinetry.