Johnson

Venice, CA
2008
2-unit Apartment
Photography: Tom Bonner

This Venice duplex consists of a smaller unit tucked into the back of the site for the project’s owner and a larger, more open unit in the front. The smaller unit required only one bedroom and a walkout garden on the second floor with a big, open space in the interior. The larger front unit needed two bedrooms and a central home office. Given the varying requirements for each unit, it was necessary to develop a design strategy that was flexible enough to accommodate the program while still allowing a singular identity for the project as a whole.

An important element of the California lifestyle is an emphasis on indoor/outdoor living. This involves carving the building back to create exterior space, allowing the interior to flow outside. This requires that the project develop large transparent areas while maintaining a strategy for shading and sun control. Venice is also well known for its artist’s lofts with big, open and free-flowing spaces. Both of these considerations were used to develop the overall design approach for the project.