FER Studio’s newly renovated Cummins residence in West Hollywood is
actually two houses – one public and one private – that intersect at a chef’s kitchen.
That makes perfect sense, since the firm’s client is partner in a company that owns a series of South Pacific-themed restaurants.
“He wanted a Balinese-styled house, but a modern and contemporary space,” said architect Chris Mercier. “He had photographs of Balinese homes, and a number of South Pacific artifacts and elements. Our goal was to be transformational without being direct.”
Chris and his partner Doug Pierson were asked in 2003 to renovate a bath in the original 1,800 square-foot home in the hills above Sunset Boulevard, with 180 degree views of Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Brentwood below. By 2007, their assignment had turned into a full-blown redesign, with three bedrooms, three and a half baths and 4,500 square feet.
“The original was a linear, ranch-style house with a master on top,” Doug said. “We took the footprint and expanded on it.”
A gray stucco section, parallel to the street, is now the public side of the home. Intersecting that is a more private section, once part of the original and now centered around a swimming pool. Bands of reddish-brown mangaris wood tie the two structures thematically together outside and are repeated at poolside, where a limestone patio meets a 25-foot span of two sliding glass doors.
The entry leads to living room, with Venetian plaster fireplace and granite mantle. A double height ceiling and black walnut flooring connects living area to kitchen, with a custom stainless steel countertop, and cabinets from Roman Coin leaves cut into glass.
Off the main living room, a 300-year-old monastery door from Southeast Asia slides open into an office. The powder room is puntuated with a stainless steel wall-mounted faucet emptying into a granite basin atop an antique Asian table.
“We wanted to create order out of disorder,” Doug said. “The house is literally a new home sitting where some older pieces were.”
Photos by Jim Pease
View Images:
Tags: featured, West Hollywood
Share On Facebook
Tweet It
