Private Residence, Hollywood Hills, California – Infinity Pool and Terraces
Our goal was to design exteriors which maximized the potential of a dramatic, yet difficult, site and enhanced the beauty of the existing modern home.
The house is perched high atop the Hollywood Hills, with panoramic views of cityscapes to the South and mountains and oceans to the West. Its interiors already were judged worthy of a major design magazine cover and feature story. Unfortunately, the pre-existing pool and decking outside neither complimented the house nor capitalized on the stunning vistas.
We started with the visual cornerstone: an elongated 55 foot rectangular infinity pool clad in black granite and stretched to the outermost corner of the site. The pool's placement and infinity edge draw the eye outward from the glass walls forming the back façade of the house, luring you outside. To develop a real dialogue between the indoor and outdoor as well as soften the wedge-shaped angle of the perimeter, we composed varying terraces and expansive steps of acid-etched, pigmented concrete, which serve as a serene and rich backdrop to the sparkling water of the pool and the sparkling stars and city lights of the night sky. We created a 16 foot long elevated hot tub with its own infinity edges of split-faced black granite and situated it closer to the house than the pool, so that as you explore, the soothing sounds of cascading water accompany the surrounding visual drama.
Finally, to enable the owner and his guests to truly enjoy the luxury of this new outdoor space, we designed three outdoor rooms – a lower terrace for pool side chaise lounging, a large mid-level entertaining terrace and an upper dining terrace overlooking the beauty of it all. The entertaining terrace includes oversized day beds with canted epe backrests transitioning from the stone below to the bamboo covered hillside above, and is anchored by a nine foot high double-sided, drystacked black granite wall and adjoining fire-pit, providing not only warmth but a striking visual counterpoint to the breathtaking infinity pool and outlying vistas.
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