What Style We Want

We like clean lines, but island style and very warm.

We also like the Greek Islands hybrid style, but with more light and larger windows.

We know that a very stark modern home would look beautiful on this lot and we originally thought we were going to build an uber-modern glass and steel structure, but what we learned is that we like looking at very modern homes, but we don't want to live in one. Last year we hired a architecture firm that specializes in modern homes. Unfortunately, after reviewing the designs we realized that we didn't want to live in homes they were making - we wanted to admire them. Our previous firm does not do anything other than modern homes and so we parted ways on good terms. We paid them for all their work and they were very good to us, but our styles did not match and so we are moving forward in our search for a new architect who is more flexible and open.

The style we want to live in is best described as Bali/Island. We live in a similar style home in South America for part of the year and we want to build another similar home in Los Angeles. We like to have the home centered around a great room/kitchen/dining/office area. We work from home and the home office should be a part of the great room, not something tucked away. We are young and we do not mind if the master suite is on the second floor, but it should be close to the main living area. We do not want a separate master wing far from the living area.

I like the main living area with a two-story room and view of the pool,
though I would like a less segmented pool. We would like a lap pool for exercise.

This lighting design is a little crazy!

We don't want an island theme park feeling...something more natural, like the above is idea.

The Spanish style is similar to our home in South America, though this
one is a little dated looking.

We want to bring water elements into the home on a subtle level and keep the floor plans open. We want privacy from the street side, but the rest can be very open.

Puerto Del Mar Lot Photos

Here are the pictures of our lot on Puerto Del Mar in the Pacific Palisades of California. There is currently a very shabby home on the lot and we will celebrate the day the bulldozer comes! The head-on view is of the open ocean and there are dolphins swimming in clear view daily. We find that the views to the land are more interesting than the views of the sea, especially at night. Directly below the lot is the highway, which was recently paved with a new kind of asphalt that cuts down on road noise, however the farther you go out towards the cliff, the louder the noise gets. There is also a trailer park on the east side directly below the property and it would be easy to construct the house so that the trailer park is hidden from view.

Puerto del Mar is a quiet dead-end street. The homes are modest compared to the streets around it. We want a home that looks very simple from the street side. We are not flashy people and we want the home to blend in and look small/modest on the street side.

The lot is on a promentory that sticks out over the PCH. The wind on the edge can be strong, depending on the day and time of year. We would prefer to keep the pool closer to the house to avoid the wind and the noise from the cars below.

Here is the view of Santa Monica to the East. We like seeing the Pier lit up at night.

Here are the views to the West towards Malibu. I like to see the s-curve in the road at night.

Our sunset views are amazing. Not only do we get the lights from the Santa Monica ferris wheel and the cars on the PCH, but every day at sun set the sky turns pink and purple.

To the sides, we also have views of the canyons, including the Santa Monica Mountains and Topanga State Park. These views are basically unobstructed, aside from seeing a few of our neighbors homes on the other side of the canyon.

Palisades Beach House Design

Welcome to our Palisades Beach House Design blog. We are a young, creative professional couple with an amazing 26,000sq foot lot overlooking the Pacific Palisades Beach and we are on a journey to design an island-style modern home for ourselves and our family. We are very attached to the Bali or Hawaiian style homes and we would like to build something similar, though updated to match the modernity of Los Angeles. We like homes that are warm, open, filled with light and do not have too many walls. That said, we do not want a sterile concrete box.

The good news: Our lot has more than 180 degree views and the sunsets are amazing. We have clear views of the Santa Monica Pier all the way to Malibu - and we want a home that captures those views with lots of glass and natural materials. We anticipate that the home will be about 10,000 sq feet plus a second structure containing a gym and guest house. We have built 3 custom homes before and we understand the process.

Here are our views to the east and west. Clearly, our head on view is open ocean.

The tough news: Our lot is on a land slide and the foundation work is significant. We have already performed the geological work and it has been approved by the city. We are working with a structural engineer and everything looks good, all things considered. Our lot is certainly build-able and it is asking for a dream home, however building our home on this spot is slightly more complicated and involved than building on a flat piece of dirt. There is a 30' difference between the top and the bottom of the lot.

This blog will have our wish list for our home along with photos of the lot and pictures we feel represent what we hope to build. We are currently looking for an architect who understands the style we like and is interested in building a value-oriented project. We have been successful, but our business was recently closed due to the economy and we are going to take a year or so off until things get better. Just like we are very talented people who are no longer busy with projects, we believe there are many talented architects also looking for work. While we have decided to proceed with the design of the home, we are more value conscious than ever. We believe that there are talented (likely genius!) architects looking for an opportunity to build a beautiful home on an amazing lot. We are not looking for a free architect, but simply one who is interested in putting their talents to use during a time when money is a serious concern for everyone. If you are a gifted and interested architect looking to work on our project, we look forward to hearing from you.