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Hidden House in California by Standard

Hidden House by Standard Architecture is located on a serene 7-acre site in the Mount Washington area of Los Angeles. The property, which can only be accessed via a half-mile unpaved road, offers expansive views of the city but seems a world away from Los Angeles at the same time.

Originally, the site featured a two-bedroom cottage, which Standard decided to keep structurally intact. They reworked the space and designed a home around it. The original two bedrooms are now the living and dining rooms. A new kitchen, family room, office, garage, master bedroom suite and kid’s bedroom, were added, which doubled the size of the home to 3500 square feet.

Arranged around two main courtyards, the living space opens up to the interior courtyard and the exterior courtyard looks out over the city.

Sustainable materials were an important part of this build such as the redwood cladding, reclaimed endgrain block wood, cork flooring in the office, and highly efficient appliances/equipment. Natural light and cross ventilation were also considerations to reduce the need for forced air and heat. Moreover, the home is insulated with sustainable cotton and built to be solar-ready. The garden is planted with native landscape and vegetables.

Photography by Benny Chan/fotoworks.

Jaime Derringer, Founder + Executive Editor of Design Milk, is a Jersey girl living in SoCal. She dreams about funky, artistic jewelry + having enough free time to enjoy some of her favorite things—running, reading, making music, and drawing.