Hidden house is located on a serene 7-acre site where the paved road ends at a hand written sign marking the entrance to “Hidden Canyon.”  The property, accessed via a half-mile unpaved road, offers views of the city but seems a world away from Los Angeles at the same time.  Originally commissioned to design a new home for a young family who had purchased the site, Standard opted to integrate much of the existing 1940’s house structure.  While doubling the size of the existing house to 3,500 sq. ft., this approach reduced the environmental footprint of the project, minimized impact to the narrow access road, and informed a clustered organization of the floor plan.  Vestiges of the former house remain as individual rooms that attach to a larger L-shaped open plan that forms two large outdoor rooms, one oriented toward the city and one oriented to the canyon.

The new and the old are integrated though a consistent approach to the exterior materials.  The east-west walls are covered with cement plaster, while the north and south facing walls are clad in wood siding.  Outside, wood decks lead to concrete patios that are scaled like interior rooms.  The two courtyards are linked through the living/dining room via six large wood and glass pivot doors.  From the informal areas of the house, a 24 foot wide sliding door pockets into the wall, creating a seamless indoor/outdoor connection.  Daily life is centered around the canyon courtyard, which transitions to an expansive yard northeast of the house.  The yard is given over to kitchen gardens, an organic flower farm, and a chicken coop.  Other areas around the house are landscaped with native flora such as Oaks, Sycamores, and Manzanita that transition to the native chaparral on the rest of the property.  The House is constructed with sustainable materials and features, ranging from redwood cladding sourced in California, to reclaimed end-grain wood flooring, cork flooring, and high efficiency equipment. The house is designed for cross ventilation and natural lighting, reducing the need for air conditioning and electrical lighting.  Maturation of the landscape trees will further reduce cooling loads.