All Photos: Brandon Shigeta
Hide Out House in Los Angeles
Buildings are alive. With the passing of seasons they expand and retract, sink in their foundations, and experience the kind of common wear and tear you’d expect from any lived-in space. So it would make sense that after long enough, even a home designed by the likes of Frank Gehry would need to be updated. Such was the case with the Los Angeles-based Hide Out House.
Rather than just playing it safe by simply fixing and sprucing up what was already there, Dan Brunn Architecture gave the entire house a more minimalist look while still retaining key components of Gehry’s original design. First, DBA ripped out the entire first floor, creating a much more open and light feel. In addition to clearing out the downstairs area, the architectural firm built an almost wavelike, dancing wooden staircase. The sculptural form is a kind of nod to both Gehry – who has a tendency to design buildings that look as if they’re dancing – and the work of the owner of the home, artist James Jean. Taken as a whole, the Hide Out House is an impressive testament to the living nature of buildings, and to DBA’s ability to change a space while preserving its bones.
