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A LOCAL RETURNS TO REDONDO AND BUILDS A DREAM HOME IN THE RIVIERA.

WRITTEN BY SUZANNA CULLEN HAMILTON

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CLAUDIO SANTINI AND SIRI BERTING

THE BEACHCOMBER

RAISING THE ROOF

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Michael Guzman grew up in Redondo Beach, so when it was time to raise his own children, he knew exactly where he wanted to be: back home. An avid surfer and paddleboarder,

Michael wanted to be steps from the beach so his children could experience the great lifestyle afforded by living near the ocean.

Michael’s first job was as a screenwriter, but he eventually left Hol-lywood and gravitated toward a career in finance. Having purchased an older home in the Redondo Beach Riviera, Michael thought build-ing a new home would be an incredible opportunity to unleash his suppressed creativity. However, the laborious process involved in constructing a new, two-story home in the Riviera surprised him.

After a three-year battle with the Torrance Planning Commission over the Hillside Overlay, Michael now owns one of the most interest-ing and beguiling homes on the beach. It is a perfect fusion of Napa and New York: rustic, hand-hewn woods and bountiful herbs mixed with clean lines, huge plate-glass windows and an open, loft-like floor plan. Industrial materials and construction meld seamlessly with exquisite Brazilian woods and soft furnishings.

James Meyer of Lean Arch drew the plans, and “he knew exactly what I wanted,” notes Michael. The bedrooms are on the ground floor with all common living areas on the second floor. The master bedroom is at the rear of the house, and it opens fully to a beautifully landscaped backyard and seating area.

“One of the reasons I bought this property was because of the deep lot. I knew we could have both a front and back yard, and that has been great for the kids,” says Michael.

Upon climbing the stairs to the second floor, one is greeted with expansive views from Palos Verdes to Malibu to the San Bernardino Mountains. It is essentially one huge living area that accommodates the kitchen, dining room and living room. With huge, plate-glass windows and retracting doors, light and air abound. When the doors are open, a great porch extends toward the ocean, providing unob-structed views.

Michael loves to cook, so the kitchen has every amenity, yet it is understated and elegant in its simplicity. Clean lines and light marble blend seamlessly into the large windows. The ovens and pantry are tucked behind a corner so no view is obstructed.

The house is very contemporary, and with so many hard surfaces, it could have come across as cold. However, the pièce de résistance of the house is the use of hand-hewn, aged, reclaimed wood from Utah. Used both inside and out, the boards translate age, quality and substance. They also offer a feeling of rustic simplicity that mixes beautifully with the sophisticated timelessness of marble, glass and the warm Brazilian walnut wood floors.

Outside the house, James worked with landscape architect Rob Jones to blend house surfaces and plantings. Concrete is brilliantly constructed to look like aged, corrugated siding that might be found on an old Napa barn. A pea gravel front yard provides space for a large table and chairs surrounded by herbs and trees that con-vey a true Napa feel. In the backyard, a huge grass area is perfect for playing, and the large lot allows for another seating area and an outdoor fire pit.

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IN THIS DESIGN DAY OF MIXING HIGH AND LOW PRODUCTS AND STYLES, MICHAEL, JAMES AND ROB GOT THIS PROJECT EXACTLY RIGHT. CLEAN LINES AND OPEN SPACES MIX WITH RUSTIC WOODS AND INDIGENOUS LANDSCAPING TO CREATE A TRUE BLENDING OF NEW YORK AND NAPA.

LIKE THE LOOK? WE RECOMMEND...

JUTE BINS $9.99–$14.99 The Container Store in Plaza

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EDWARD WOHL MAPLECUTTING BOARD $100

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DOWEL BAR STOOL $520 Modernica, modernica.net

THE BEACHCOMBER

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THE ARCHITECTS

DESCRIBE THE PROJECT YOU FEATURED.

This home features a private bridge at the main entrance and cantilevered living spaces. Telescoping steel decks extend beyond the building facade, providing ad-ditional vantage points from which to enjoy the views of the city and canyons below. The steel structure is clad with anodized alumi-num and stucco panels, which peel away to embrace the stair and bridge. Walls of glass on the north and west elevations visually con-nect the interior with the surrounding natural landscape. The terraced patio, sundeck and deep-blue pool are encircled by clusters of agave and forests of bamboo, punctuated by the cabana and guesthouse.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF LEAN ARCH?

Lean Arch, Inc. started as a small design studio in Manhattan Beach and has evolved into a Los Angeles-based, award-winning De-sign/Build practice with a global perspective. Over the past 12 years, Lean Arch has over-seen the design and execution of residential, commercial and tenant improvement projects throughout the Los Angeles area. The firm has received several awards, including rec-ognition by LA Architect magazine as one of the “Top 10 Firms to Watch for 2007,” an AIA Award for Kuhlhaus 01 in Manhattan Beach,

and a SEED Award (So Cal Environmental Ex-cellence in Development) from the South Bay Business Environmental Coalition for Kuhl-haus 02, also in Manhattan Beach. Lean Arch has been published extensively in the United States, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Sweden and China. Currently, the firm is working on their first monograph, entitled LEAN ARCH: Some Assembly Required. Recently, Lean Arch has been working with clients abroad, including the Ruiyun Group in Chengdu and HTHY in Beijing, one of China’s largest turnkey provid-ers of retail environments.

WHAT MAKES YOUR FIRM UNIQUE IN THIS INDUSTRY?

Our clients tend to be engaged through-out the process. By nurturing this collabora-tion, we find opportunities to improve upon the original design and enhance the quality of the overall project. The Lean Arch team is a passionate and energetic group of individu-als who have demonstrated their ability to achieve the best outcome while managing the complexities of our work. Principal Archi-tect and Founder, James R. Meyer, AIA, cre-ates opportunity from compromise by main-taining focus on the big picture. His ability to manage expectations and nurture relation-ships is attributable to his tireless work ethic, easygoing personality, and his understanding that people are the key to success.

JAMES R. MEYER Lean Arch, Inc.

530 S. Spring Street in Los Angeles213-744-9830 | info@leanarch.com | leanarch.com{

»DESIGN SHOWCASE 2012

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PHOTOGRAPHED BY: JULIUS SHULMAN