Vertical showcase
A passerby would never mistake this modern Mar Vista home for a treehouse. But step inside and the illusion is strong. Branches and blossoms from the property’s magnolia, jacaranda and other trees can be seen through the strategically placed windows of the three-level house and are an integral part of the indoors-as-outdoors architectural theme.
Originally a small 1947 bungalow, the home was remodeled in 2003 by owners Jennifer Wen, an architect, and her husband, Jeff Guh, a structural engineer, to create a light-filled work studio for Wen and a fanciful living space for the couple’s children, Kevin, who is now 13, and Alison, now 11.
“It’s a dream house for our family,” Wen said of the property, which commands views of Century City, the Pacific and much of Mar Vista. Still, it’s time to move on, and she has designed a larger house for the family in Santa Monica.
About this house: When Wen and Guh set about designing and engineering their whimsical home, they asked the children what they would like included. Kevin, then 8, said he wanted a treehouse. Alison wanted a space to roller-skate. Wen, a devout nature lover, wanted to incorporate the property’s trees into the design and to create a country feel to the suburban home.
The result is a vertical, open-loft design, built for maximum contact with the natural surroundings and using arboreal themes throughout. The floors on the staircase and upstairs are light-colored birch, while the downstairs concrete floor is stained ocean green and flows outside to a little skating path in the backyard.
The staircase, located in the middle of the structure, is light-filled and serves as the “trunk” of the house. Large windows above the stairs are separated by wooden dividers, which mimic tree branches.
A dramatic redwood railing, which looks as though it is windblown, weaves seamlessly from an upstairs family room to an outdoor porch. Also, a series of stained-glass windows, each tinted orange, purple, yellow or red, casts shadows on the interior walls during the day, creating a kaleidoscopic effect.
Size: The house is 3,083 square feet; the lot is 6,465 square feet.
Features: The three-bedroom, three-bathroom home has a second-story family room overlooking the bottom floor; an upstairs sleeping porch; a study opening onto a roof deck; a fireplace; and cabinets with geometric cutouts, resembling a child’s wooden puzzle.
Asking price: $2,080,000
Where: Mar Vista
Listing agent: Mike Deasy, Deasy/Penner & Partners, (310) 275-8880.
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