Sweet

Upside down and i n s i d e o U t:

a coUple on a bUdget bUilds their dream home

w R i tte n BY: pam ela CO Rant e-HanSen

PHOTOgRaPHy by Paul JONaSON.

the formula for a successful custom home project, according to Redondo Beach homeowners michael and Julie guzman, involves understanding dimensions, befriending the architect, and watching independent films, not necessarily in that order. the front yard of the couples rustic-modern two-story home is an edible garden abundant with artichokes, strawberries, tangerines, onions and mint. it was inspired by the movie, Stealing Beauty, michael guzman says, referring to Bernardo Bertoluccis 1996 film about a young american womans idyllic summer at a tuscan villa. Olive trees, gravel ground cover and an oversized wooden table complete this rendition of the classic italian garden, designed by manhattan Beach landscaping firm Jones & potik. But the home itself draws attention for its juxtaposition of post-modern concrete and glass surfaces with reclaimed wood siding from an old utah farm. people will walk by and go, Oh, what color are you going to paint your house? Julie guzman laughs, describing some observers confusion about the woods intentionally distressed appearance.

Dont be intimidated by the process, Julie adds. You have to be comfortable enough with the architect to say, no, i want it different. Of course, it doesnt hurt if the architect becomes a BFF. James is from around here and we really hit it off, michael says. weve become good friends and the kids really love him. lucas and ariana, the guzmans two young children, make full use of the homes spacious backyard, which was another reason the family was drawn to the property. were getting a manhattan Beach Sand Section home with triple the lot size, michael says. the house is walking distance from Rat Beach in torrance, a bonus for michael, who surfs, and the kids, who enjoy playing in the ocean. inside, the home is designed with a minimalist aesthetic that still has elements of warmth. its like a new York loft but at the beach, Julie says. Dark ip wood floors, also known as Brazilian walnut, add elegance throughout the home but are tough enough to survive constant traffic from the two children and lucy, the family dog.

clothes in the washer and not track sand everywhere. the laundry room was built with a graphite-colored concrete floor for low maintenance. a floating staircase leads to the homes second floor, where the most dramatic device for bringing the outdoors in also gives the home its industrial loft vibe. architect meyer designed a garage door made of clear glass that opens above the stairwell and looks out onto the backyard. Besides air circulation, the door makes it possible for the guzmans to be within shouting distance while the kids are playing out in the yard. Here on the homes top floor, ocean views can be taken in from virtually any spot, thanks to an open, great room floor plan. the guzmans entertain regularly, and to accommodate a large crowdor to let in fresh, ocean aira spacious outdoor deck can become part of the upstairs living area by sliding open a west-facing glass wall. the focal point of the great room is a north-facing glass wall behind the kitchen, capturing a picture-perfect vista of the Santa monica Bay.

people WIll Walk By anD go, oh, What color are you goIng to paInt your houSe? Julie guzman laughs, describing some observers confusion about the woods intentionally distressed appearance.
Distressed may be the best word for the original 1965 home that stood on the property when the guzmans purchased it five years ago. they had been living in another home just around the block, and when their current property became available, they jumped on it. Having a two-story home was a big deal in this neighborhood because of the view, michael says. the idea was to flip the living spaces so that the kitchen and main living area were upstairs, and the bedrooms and laundry room were downstairs. at first, the family planned on living in the original home for three months. But a slow permit approval process turned three months into three years. the original house was a tear-down, michael recalls. the toilets were sinking through the floors, the exterior paint was peeling. it was in bad shape. But they stayed focused on their vision, buying stacks of home design magazines, tearing out pages and working closely with architect James meyer of lean arch in los angeles. Because the guzmans were on a tight budget, michael was heavily involved in the process once construction began. His advice for other homeowners who are remodeling or building a custom home is to get a true sense for the dimensions of a particular space by standing in a room that size. James let us go into other homes hed designed so that we could really see what a 12 by 12 space felt like, michael notes. Sometimes it was fine, and other times it was like, we want the kitchen to be bigger. plans for a sitting room in the wood-floored, Spartan entryway are imminent, but for now, it serves as a soccer field, a hockey rink, and a dance stage for the children, according to Julie. an oversized movie poster from luc Bessons 1988 French blockbuster, the Big Blue, adds a dramatic splash of color to the neutral palette and reflects the couples shared passion for the film. Four bedrooms, three baths and a laundry room are arranged in a u-shape around the entryway. On one wing, the two childrens bedrooms have the same dimensions, and their two bathrooms mirror each other. Both bathrooms feature shaker-style cabinetry, a design element that, michael remarks, softens the house and takes the edge off the modern. in the master bedroom on the opposite wing, concrete floors lend an edgy, industrial feel, but a fabric headboard and upholstered chairs add softness. One of the overall design concepts was to blur the lines between indoors and outdoors, and the room accomplishes this with a sliding glass pocket wall that opens onto a backyard sunken patio. Here, an outdoor sitting area boasting a kidney-shaped fire pit with quartz-like crushed glass draws the master bedroom outside. another indoor-outdoor feature especially prized by Julie is a surf shower just outside the laundry room in a side yard. its for sandy babies, Julie quips. the kids come straight from the beach and shower before coming inside. they can throw their You can see the sunset from here, michael notes while standing in the kitchen, and on a clear day you can see the snow on the mountains. He gestures toward the northeast-facing view above the cooking range. i like to cook, michael says, and i wanted to be at the stove and still see the ocean. the color scheme on the second floor plays off the hues of sea and sky. Calacatta marble kitchen countertops are offset by a shock of robins egg blue on the base of the chefs island and the backs of the kitchen cupboards, visible through glass cabinet doors. Cornflower blue cabinets in a pocket office add dimension to the earth-toned fixtures and walls. the second-floor ceiling is made from the same reclaimed wood siding visible on the homes exterior, and is just as rustic. You can still see the bird poop from when it was a barn, michael laughs. Julie and michael designed all the interiors themselves with inspiration from their growing pile of magazine clippings. we were careful not to make the house look like any one particular style, says Julie. pointing at two upholstered armchairs in a corner of the living room, michael explains that the traditional design of the chairs and the red and orange fabric contrast with the modern lines and blue tones of other furnishings. and the vision for the calacatta marble countertops was a parisian brasserie. we didnt want people to look at the house and go, Oh, thats a 1984 sink, Julie says. we wanted it to look eclectic and timeless.

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SOutHBaYDigS.COm | 6.15.2012