The La Canada Residence project was to transform an existing single story 2,700 square foot cottage style ranch into a contemporary home as well as adding a private master bedroom suite.

The approach was to open up as much of the existing house as possible both internally to adjacent rooms as well as to the exterior. The house sits on a beautiful 15,000 square foot pine tree covered lot which filters the late afternoon sun light into an array of speckled shadows. The rear yard is fairly open with existing built-in pool to the far rear surrounded in a thick wall of cypress trees which provide a beautiful green privacy wall to the east. The existing house was architecturally defined by a traditional pitched roof that faced the street, adorned to look like a small cottage.

The bedroom portion of the house was left in tacked with only the addition of new finishes, skylights and exterior windows. A new private master bedroom suite was added to the rear of the house and designed around a new small exterior courtyard linking to the living room rear patio as well as to the existing rear yard pool.

About the Architect

Christopher L Mercier and Douglas Pierson
(fer) studio LLP


www.ferstudio.com

Founded in early 2002, form environment research, (fer) studio, LLP, is an award winning architecture, interiors, landscape, and master planning design firm based in Los Angeles, CA. Noted for its evocative aesthetic and eco-conscious design culture, (fer) studio operates under the direction of principals, Christopher L. Mercier, AIA, and Douglas V. Pierson, AIA, LEED AP.

(fer) studio’s broad range of projects includes academic, civic, retail, restaurant, hospitality and residential, each rooted in the firm’s philosophical foundation to merge the standards of artistic composition, sustainability, and client collaboration. The art-studio environment fosters a creative design process that blends the arenas of design, sculpture, fashion and the relationship between built environments, their users, and their effects on the environment.

Collaborators

Contractor - Chris Miller & Sons
Structural Engineer - JN Structural Engineering

(fer) studio LLP Project Team Included:
- Design Partner, Christopher L Mercier & Douglas Pierson
- Project Architect, Christopher Faulhammer
- Project Team, Robert Mothershed, Angela Loughery