The history of the Moore House is quite interesting.
It was designed in 1965 by Craig Ellwood,
it had been owned by a local band that I think used it as a as a party house and so
it was in quite disrepair. Our clients goals for the project were actually quite simple:
to save the home, renovate it and thoughtfully and delicately bring it in to the 21st century.
There is a history in Los Angeles of mid-century tropical modernism.
The house itself is actually quite the same,
the 1700 square foot rectangle that rests above an open carport
and it's essentially an open truss structure, it's a pavilion and in between are planes of glass.
We actually went to great efforts to restore and keep all of the structural elements,
another element on the interior of the home that we kept which we felt was very
strong were the two bookends of the main entry space. One being the original firebox which we
kept in its proportion and location, but then wrapped it in a patinaed brass
and then made a galley kitchen which is much more efficient in terms of the use of space.
Many of the details that we used in this home were pulled from the original design but upgraded.
We would ask ourselves if Craig Ellwood had the technology at the time, what way might
he choose to go, for example all the panels that you see now are Burmese teak panels,
those were an upgrade to a painted white drywall. We took a similar stance on the hardwood flooring,
we have upgraded to be consistent with the teak paneling so that the floors are now
reclaimed Burmese teak in the same proportion and same layout as the original construction.
One of our goals is to really reduce the number of permanent materials that we use in a home
so that items like drapery and furnishings and rugs and textiles can really be the pop.
The owners wanted to play on the high contrast in the original Moore House, what we end up
with are marbles and stone throughout the project, we have a lovely tile backsplash
which is somewhat of an art installation when looking at the kitchen through the living room.
We also then can link those with these small porcelain tiles in other areas of the home,
and then all of the interior plumbing fixtures, door hardware, detailing,
metal inlays are all an unlacquered brass which over time will patina
and we are proud that it looks from the exterior, or in feeling,
or the spatial quality, very consistent with the project before we worked on it.
As a firm, we think of our architecture as background to furnishings,
to the landscape to the view, some of my favourite moments of this home actually
occur when you separate yourself from the exterior elevation and look inward.
I think one of the advantages of having a hillside property in the city of Los
Angeles is that you are lifted above the quote-unquote "Concrete Jungle"
Once you set foot on the property your view is expanded, not just to the geography of Los Angeles
and this endless skyline but then you also have these opportunities for private oasis and gardens.
One of the most interesting features of the home is an original koi pond which the owners
really wanted to keep and restore, and one of the best compliments that
we've received is when visitors come and think that the pool is original.
We used the same concrete masonry units that are on the foundation of the original Moore House.
We want to respect the history,
so that these historic landmarks are here for the next generation.
For a project such as the Moore House, we want to avoid fads, we want to be timeless.
We're very proud that the owners love being a part of the history of Los Angeles in an iconic
mid-century home. We have had the opportunity to work on a few other Craig Ellwood homes and some
other mid-century architects in Los Angeles and our goal is always to preserve and restore and
hope that someone in 60, 80 years feels that the home has value and wants to do the same thing.