Location
Los Angeles, CACategory
HousesStatus
In DesignProject Type
New Construction
Project Statistics
Main House
- Size3,747 SF
- Bedrooms5
- Bathrooms4
- Stories2
Services
- Architecture
- Interior Design
- Custom Furniture Design
The Coolidge Residence reimagines a long-held family property in Mar Vista, West Los Angeles, as a new home designed for the family’s next chapter. Rather than renovating the existing single-story house, the decision was made to build from the ground up, creating an opportunity for the architecture to more fully reflect the way the family lives today while anticipating how their needs will evolve in the years ahead. The new two-story, 3,700-square-foot residence expands both function and flexibility, while preserving a quiet sense of continuity with the memories rooted in the property.
Material choices draw from mid-century and classic California modern precedents, with a restrained palette of smooth troweled stucco, vertical painted siding, and bronze aluminum details carried across doors, windows, and railings. The front yard is defined by CMU and breeze block walls, with the yards acting as hidden gardens.
Built on the same ground where earlier memories were formed, the new home marks a continuation rather than a departure.
The house is organized to balance openness with moments of separation, with large amounts of natural light filtering in through ceiling-height windows. Shared spaces are anchored at the ground level, where a light-filled great room connects directly to the backyard. A large floating staircase rises from this space, acting as both a visual and spatial connector between the two floors while allowing natural light to pass through the center of the home.
Designed for a multi-generational Asian-American household, the home supports the rhythms of parents, children, and extended family. From the outset, the goal was to create a place that could hold both everyday routines and larger gatherings, serving as a central space for family life. The project reflects a desire to grow alongside the family, offering a more mature and intentional environment.
The family’s lifestyle naturally revolves around food, so the kitchen became the true center of the home, layered with function. It was designed to either open up to the dining and living spaces or close off when needed during larger family cooking days. Sliding glass doors make that flexibility possible, allowing the space to shift depending on how the home is being used. One of our favorite details is the reimagined built-in breakfast nook, where a cozy U-shaped bench creates an easy spot for everyday meals, slow mornings, and the informal gatherings that happen throughout the day.
Inside, the main living room is anchored by an offset fireplace set within a stacked bond brick media wall, flanked by built-in wood shelving. Large windows bring in natural light throughout the day, softening the interior palette of wood flooring and shoji white walls. Upstairs, a loft provides a secondary gathering space, with built-in oak shelving, reeded glass storage cabinets, and access to the balcony overlooking the backyard.
The Coolidge Residence reflects a shift not only in architecture, but in the life of the family itself. It is designed to support the next chapter, while remaining closely tied to what came before.
