Tag: Los Angeles

Contemporary Hillside Luxury Estate: Bel Air

Today’s design inspiration comes from a Contemporary hillside luxury estate in Bel Air, an affluent residential neighborhood in Los Angeles. The custom-built compound consists of several buildings including the main house and separate quarters for guest, staff, and entertaining, with most being joined together by a footbridge. The property is built into the hilltop and situated on multiple levels and has a total of 40,000 square-feet. The estate includes 28-bedrooms, a home spa, a roof-top terrace, a terraced orchard, a 24-car underground garage, and plenty of space for entertaining.

Towers clad in rough-faced sandstone punctuate the contemporary home’s smooth stucco facade. It’s stepped positioning along the hilltop gives it the appearance of being a modern fortress. The elevated position provides the home with extraordinary city and ocean views. The photo above shows the side entrance into the parking area.

This exceptional hillside luxury estate, of course, is another award-winning mega home by the Los Angeles based architect Richard Landry of Landry Design Group. His superb super-mansions are favored by those seeking the best things in life. The architect collaborated with interior designer David Phoenix on the interior design, who gave the interiors a bit of his signature “California elegant” styling. The above photo shows the footbridge suspended over the motor court with the home’s entry on the left and parking garage below.

HILLSIDE LUXURY ESTATE

The rough-faced sandstone used to clad the tower’s exteriors continues inside here in the entrance foyer and pairs with Portuguese limestone floors. Landry also continued the ceiling trellis from the exterior entryway, which is separated only by a wall of floor-to-ceiling glass, into here, pairing it with glass ceilings to unify the indoor and outdoor spaces. He suspended a footbridge through the foyer to mirror those which connects the various structures outdoors. Phoenix softened the vast, double height space a bit by gathering a rosewood table from Jean de Merry with bronze stools from Holly Hunt on a custom silk-and-wool rug from Tai Ping.

Pocket doors separate the formal living room and the more relaxed parlor room. In both areas, the fireplace serves as the focal point with specially treated surrounds. Slabs of book-matched onyx surround the fireplace in the formal living room (top picture). A mosaic of onyx tile forms the surround in the parlor. A design idea for living rooms to note: Landry allowed the ceilings to stop short of reaching the walls, and installed cove lighting in the space to illuminate it from within, creating an understated glow. This design detail features throughout the home in various rooms to great effect.

In the formal dining room, a 3,000-pound zebrawood-and-bronze table from David Sutherland seats 14 comfortably beneath a fabulous Moura Starr chandelier. A 2007 chromogenic print, Frigid Ferragosto 2, by Massimo Vitali and an untitled 1964 oil by Lorser Feitelson adorn the walls.

Zebrawood paneling lines the walls of the library and continues onto the ceilings. Italian-glass mosaic tiles form the fireplace surround. I particularly like the Michael Berman club chairs gathered around a table by Donghia. The sophisticated design of this room is really appealing.

In the casual games room, the rough-faced sandstone walls continue. A cozy sunken conversation area gathers before the fireplace, while a generously scaled games table covered in leather serves as the heart of the room.

The Landry designed, completely freestanding staircase spans the full height of the main house, four-floors from the garage below, all the way up to the roof terrace, not touching the walls at any point. Phoenix added his touch by including nickel-plated rock-crystal sconces of his own design and selected the crowning chandelier from Moura Starr.

“The possibilities are limitless; they can only be restrained by the imagination.” Richard Landry

The master bedroom suite features rich contemporary design details. Bleached zebrawood paneling lines the walls, highlighted from above by the ceiling’s cove lighting. Back-lit honey onyx that glows at night forms the fireplace surround. The upholstered bed and zebrawood bedside chests and television cabinet at the end of the bed were bespoke designed just for this bedroom.

In the master bathroom, Phoenix also used zebrawood for the vanity and mirrors. White onyx covers the walls and floors, including some backlit around the large tub.

Downstairs, adjacent the fully equipped gym, the home’s spa features plenty luxury design details. Landry designed a Venetian-plastered elliptical soffit for the ceiling to maintain a light ambiance. The list of special interior architectural details is practically endless. White marble and Bisazza tiles cover the walls and floors. The space includes a pair of private massage rooms, wet and dry saunas, and a special cold/hot whirlpool bath that Landry designed with Chroma therapy lights.

The hillside luxury estate includes multiple outdoor lounging and entertaining areas. The space in the top photo stands just outside the gym and spa. It features teak ceilings and teak furniture from David Sutherland. The owner can continue along the path from there down the stairs to his private terraced orchard where he picks his fruit fresh each morning. The second photo shows the heated loggia adjacent to the living room that serves for open air living.

The rooftop terrace overlooks the pool and barbecue terrace. The lower terrace includes an outdoor kitchen where the owner likes to host close family and friends. The zero-edge pool flows into a tiled area fitted with fiber-optic up-lights programmable to change color.

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

“Your home should reflect a combination of memories, aspirations and a lifetime of unique experiences. By being sensitive to your vision and desires, together we can craft a home that truly responds to your lifetstyle.” Landry Design Group

For more mega-mansions completed by this star architect, be sure to see:

Villa del Lago: Tuscan Inspired Luxury Estate

Beverly Park Chateau

BEL AIR HILLSIDE LUXURY ESTATE

Designing projects all over the globe, Landry Design Group strives to raise the international standards in custom residential architecture. The award-winning design studio was founded in 1987 by Richard Landry. Recognized for designs in a wide range of architectural styles, the team of service-oriented experts collaborate to create residences spanning from classical estates to rural villas and cutting-edge contemporary structures. The studio’s current work continues to be as diverse as their clients, many of whom have returned to collaborate on subsequent projects. Every new endeavor is embraced as an opportunity to challenge the imagination and explore innovation.

Richard Landry has multiple beautiful Architectural Design Books that showcase many of the extraordinary homes created by his firm. The New York Times dubbed him “King of the Mega-Mansions”. If you love exceptional architecture, you must be sure to take a look at these.

Architecture: Richard Landry- Landry Design Group

Interior Design: David Phoenix

Photography by Erhard Pfeiffer

This residence was named Robb Report’s Ultimate Home

Thank you so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed this extraordinary Hillside Luxury Estate. Let me hear from you guys in the comments!

Have a great day!

October 30, 2015
California Modern Design: Sunset Plaza

Today for our design inspiration, we have a California Modern luxury resort-like residential compound located along the Sunset Strip, near West Hollywood. The exceptional property boasts sweeping panoramic views of the city, made possible by an endless number of vantage points created throughout the estate. This sophisticated 13,000 square-foot dream home spreads over two levels and three structures, with eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms. Designed by highly acclaimed Hagy Belzberg Architects, the residence radiates an unmistakable sense of strength, volume, and boldness.

To be clear, by California Modern I mean that the design is mid-century modern inspired. It makes use of lots of natural elements; stone, raw woods, and such. The residence fully embraces indoor-outdoor living. Endless floor to ceiling windows roll away completely opening the space to the outdoors. The large and sophisticated home remains warm and inviting in that west coast casual sort of way.

Built on a hillside, combining existing sloped terrain with flat, terraced areas, the luxury compound provides expansive views out while prohibiting views in. A highly sought-after quality in the Los Angeles hills naturally. The property is walled, gated, and lined with landscaping trees and shrubs ensuring privacy.

Guest entering the home through the glass double doors immediately get a sense of the home’s vast openness. Just a few steps in and the entry hall opens to double heights with glass ceilings. The space flows all the way through to the glass door leading out to the back. This central passageway serves to delineate the public and private spaces.

To the right, the formal dining room opens onto a spacious family room which opens to the home’s theater.

To the left, an open plan combines the living room and spacious kitchen with a breakfast bar. On the way in, one passes the glass-fronted wine storage room and access to the various other functioning rooms.

The large open kitchen includes two islands, a breakfast bar, marble counter-tops, and Miele appliances. Perfectly equipped for serving large gatherings and designed with entertaining in mind. This ultimate entertainment compound can accommodate over one thousand of your chosen friends, while the drive and parking areas hold thirty of their cars.

The wine storage room holds Eight-hundred-and-fifty bottles of your favorite spirits! The entire estate is fully automated, of course. Every detail, including the temperature control of the wine room, adjusts with your touchscreen.

The stairs lead up to an upper floor library established in the center with the master suite on one side and the remaining bedrooms located on the other.

The very spacious master bedroom suite includes a large sitting room that opens to a deck overlooking the back. The sitting room leads to the actual bedroom which also has a sitting area within it and opens to a balcony overlooking the front.

Pocket doors open to the master bath designed for two people. Both have their separate spaces on either end, joined in the middle with the steam/rain shower.

The luxury home lays out so that all eight bedrooms have an en-suite bath, spacious closets, a balcony, and breathtaking views. This photo shows the view from the balcony of a bedroom overlooking the front lawn with large infinity edge pool and spa and the city beyond.

The home includes an attached two-car garage on the backside as well as an additional detached two-story, three-car garage with the entire 2nd floor devoted to the home’s fully equipped gym (wellness center).

The guest house completes the estate, situated higher up on the hill. The two-story contemporary structure comprises a living area, an eat-in kitchen, and two bedrooms with en-suite baths, along with courtyards, balconies, and views.

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

To see another residence by this architect, be sure to see:

Modern LA Residence: Minimalist Interior Design

CALIFORNIA MODERN DESIGN INSPIRATION

Belzberg Architects is an architecture and interior design firm located in the City of Santa Monica, California founded by Hagy Belzberg in 1997. The firm has fostered a reputation for creating beautiful and functional architecture and interiors by exploring unconventional methodologies. Their design approach is holistic; while they nurture a collective curiosity and dissect critical issues, their solutions consider the realities of construction. This ethos has resulted in a diverse portfolio of award-winning, built work.

The firm has earned over 48 national and local design awards including over 20 from the American Institute of Architects. Other exceptional works include: Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, Conga Room at LA Live, Bar Toscana, works within the Walt Disney Concert Hall’s lobby, and many other notable projects.

Architecture: Hagy Belzberg – Belzberg Architecture

Photography by: Jim Bartsch Photography & Taiyo Watanabe

Archello

Thank you so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed this California Modern design and architecture.

Have a great day!

October 16, 2015
Modern LA Residence: Minimalist Interior Design

For our design inspiration today, we have a modern Los Angeles residence perched in the Hollywood Hills with sweeping canyon views and minimalist interior design. All white and bathed in natural light, the home features open spaces and floor to ceiling windows and doors that create a strong connection with the outdoors. A strip of stainless-steel wraps around the house, crowning the walls of glass that allow views into nearly every room.

What started out as a renovation, ultimately became a complete reconfiguration and expansion designed to meet the needs of a sophisticated young couple with a child and a growing art collection. Architect Hagy Belzberg, in collaboration with interior designer Ryan Jackson, created for the couple a home that elegantly mixes work with play. The minimalist interior design acts as a deferential backdrop to the life and surroundings of the home. The sublimely edited interiors provide constant visual and physical access to the outdoors.

One enters the property through a gate into the front garden. The visually impressive garden, though designed to be relatively low maintenance, provides the perfect prelude to what’s inside the house. The expertly planned lawn consists of walkways surrounded by rocks, palm trees and narrow pools of water leading up to the glass front door.

The architect added a glass two-story wing on either end of the original single-story structure. The central space now holds the home’s common living rooms. The front facade’s floor-to-ceiling windows look through to the 55-foot expanse of glass doors across the back. A wall in the front foyer, used to display the owner’s art collection, provides the only exception. This isn’t a house for everyone, but it is the perfect home for the owners who stated that they wanted to create a mini-museum. An outer wall at ground level surrounds the property, so privacy isn’t altogether abandoned.

The open kitchen, dining, and living areas seamlessly integrate on a single plane. White-and-gray terrazzo flooring and white walls with just a touch of gray added to soften the effect on the eyes, define the entire expanse. To create a brighter effect in areas, gleaming slabs of Nano glass cover the walls, which gives the clearest, clean form of white.

Jackson continued the gray tones in the contemporary furnishings, including clean-lined upholstered pieces, many of his design, and silk rugs. He incorporated wood pieces with raw edges to add a bit of warmth and texture. There are no inessential items, and the home is purposely void of interior decorating. The only thing “displayed” is the owner’s collection of modern art.

The kitchen and breakfast area include lacquered cabinetry, white Caesarstone counter-tops, and stainless designer appliances. Black oak counter stools with upholstered leather seats offer visual contrast. Note the skylight above and throughout the rooms.

Belzberg designed the house very much for indoor-outdoor living. Across the back, multi-track, bronze-framed glass doors slide away, removing any barrier between the interior spaces and the back courtyard and pool area.

In the east wing, the master bedroom looks out onto the pool area and the lush hillside, while an adjacent room size closet looks out onto the enclosed garden. The west wing holds the guest bedrooms and bathrooms to ensure privacy. The upper floor of each wing holds private workspaces. His office in one wing, and her art studio in the other, both feature floor-to-ceiling windows for unframed views of the hillside. A small home theater is the only enclosed, cocooned place in the home.

The master bedroom suite includes a sitting area and a large master bath. Jackson designed the platform bed and upholstered it with leather and waxed linen and placed a pop-up television at the end. Halila stone forms the bathroom’s interior walls, flooring, and sunken tub. A rift-cut walnut vanity provides warmth. The entire space opens to connect with the outdoors.

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

To see another modern home by this architect, be sure to see:

California Modern Design: Sunset Strip

MINIMALIST INTERIOR DESIGN

Belzberg Architects is an architecture and interior design firm located in the City of Santa Monica, California founded by Hagy Belzberg in 1997.

Belzberg Architects has fostered a reputation for creating beautiful and functional architecture and interiors by exploring unconventional methodologies. Their design approach is holistic; while they nurture a collective curiosity and dissect critical issues, their solutions consider the realities of construction. This ethos has resulted in a diverse portfolio of award-winning, built work. The firm’s portfolio is not defined by typologies, scale, or geography, but rather they are driven by a desire to explore the design potential of a given project. Their clients include large institutions, commercial businesses, consortia, and private individuals, and the diversity of their collaborators continues to grow.

Studio Jackson Inc, a Los Angeles based full-service interior design consultancy provides their client’s design related services from concepting their custom designed project to placing the perfect accent piece. Studio Jackson is led by principal designer Ryan Gordon Jackson, who brings to his projects a passion for the designed environment.

Architect: Hagy Belzberg – Belzberg Architecture

Interior Design: Ryan Gordan Jackson – Studio Jackson

photography: Taiyo Watanabe

Luxe Interiors

Thank you so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed this LA home and its minimalist interior design.

Have a great day!

October 5, 2015