Featuring commanding views of Los Angeles, this home on a steeply sloping Echo Park lot is careful not to spoil the scenery for those above it. Built at and below street level, the roughly cubic residence is a flatteringly uncomplicated design from the outside, finished in pleasingly subdued tones and textures. The structure floats avoids destroying the hillside, set on concrete supports; only a single point of the boxy house has direct contact with the dirt. The most attention-getting feature of the house, however, is (surprisingly) its driveway, which lends it an upside-down architectural feel. A covered parking space is built into the roof, with a minimal bridge leading to it from the road. No matter which angle it’s viewed at, the home is sure to impress.
Coated in dark grey with black accent railings, the potentially sinister nature of this design is set off by its simple and pleasing shape, as well as the warm lighting on its carport and at its entryway. The dwelling keeps a low profile from above, and from the street looks for all the world like nothing more than an ornate parking spot.
Taking advantage of its extremely sloping property, the house is built with an exterior layout contradictory to tradition, with a rooftop that combines deck space with a carport. A short metal bridge and low deck walls provide views of the city below and frame the homeowner’s cars in contemporary style. Automobiles can be parked both underneath the asymmetrical awning or on the bridge itself.
All the ceiling-height windows of the home are set inward, creating cutout decks in the dwelling’s profile. This style of design may restrict space inside, but the ceiling and floor overhangs work with the sloping lot to preserve privacy.
