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The Oxford Triangle Residence Offers a New Spin on a Venice Beach House

07.26.22 | By
The Oxford Triangle Residence Offers a New Spin on a Venice Beach House

If you’ve been to Venice Beach, California, the Oxford Triangle residence is not your typical beach house sighting. The unique home sits on a narrow triangular lot by a historic electric streetcar line in use from 1905 to the mid 1950s. Architect Matthew Royce, of M Royce Architecture, designed the home for himself with inspiration drawn from a trip to Iran in 2013. Grand villas in the city of Kashan housed basements that filled with snow every winter, which became their refrigerator in the summer. A return stop in London added more inspiration – row houses with gaps between the home and sidewalk allowing light into the basements below.

Royce translated the inspiration into the new house by adding space between the public sidewalk and the structure. Everything built above ground was to maximize the tight footprint, and below ground is where the spaces benefit from natural light and ocean breezes filtering down.

closeup exterior view of modern, industrial house with mirrored windows and rust red fence

exterior side view of modern industrial house with rust red fence

The house is constructed using industrial materials, like board-formed concrete, glass, and raw copper, quite the contrast from the surrounding 20th century Craftsman bungalows, mid-century ranches, and post-war stucco houses.

side view of modern industrial house in venice beach

The raw materials on the exterior will gradually patina and age over time creating an ever-evolving look. Similar materials are used on the two-story guesthouse with the exception of a hydraulic airplane hangar door that opens the space up to the outside.

closeup sideview of modern house with rust red and patinaed wood details

exterior view of modern guesthouse with aged wood exterior

exterior view of modern guesthouse with aged wood exterior and open window

closeup exterior side view of modern industrial house with mirrored windows and rusted iron details

The ground floor, which houses the kitchen, living room, and deck, sinks three feet below ground so the foliage wrapped around the perimeter of the property can create privacy when the spaces are opened up. An infinity pool runs right alongside the house and then wraps around making it easy to access.

exterior side view of modern house with elongated pool running alongside

exterior view from modern deck overlooking curved pool

With the sliding glass walls opened up, the kitchen extends to a patio and overlooks the elongated swimming pool.

rooftop deck view of modern house in venice beach

top floor interior view of modern house with eclectic furnishings looking out to rooftop deck

interior view of modern kitchen looking out to greenery

interior of modern dark kitchen with glass tabletop

interior of modern seating area of home with garage style door opened and man standing to side

interior of modern home's seating area with modern and eclectic furnishings and large window

interior of modern, industrial space with concrete walls and dark furnishings

modern interior staircase with concrete surfaces

interior of open modern bedroom with modern minimalist furnishings and angled windows

interior of modern industrial bathroom with double sink

modern interior of dark minimalist bathroom with polished concrete surfaces and oval bathtub

modern interior of dark minimalist bathroom with polished concrete surfaces oval shower room

interior concrete staircase with concrete surfaces and artwork on walls

interior modern bedroom with deep blue walls and bedding with graphic painting over bed

interior view of modern bathroom with oval tub in front of wall of windows

interior view of modern home with blue curved wall and concrete floors

interior view of open metal staircase in front of large windows looking out to deck

Photos by Sam Frost and Michael Reynolds.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.