Mahler

Beverly Glen, CA
2001
Single Family Spec
Photography: Tom Bonner

Anna Mahler, the daughter of Alma and Gustav Mahler, once lived in this house, held salons, and chiseled stone in this yard for forty years until her death in 1989. To preserve this memory, a few simple moves were made to contrast with the house, allow a contemporary use and to increase a sense of light and space.

On the exterior, all the openings remain as they were. A new reflective stainless steel plane element was inserted through the roof to open views to the canyon hills and pull in light. It defines spaces within the interior and finally forms a canopy at the back door.

On the interior, the entire volume of the house was exposed by completely removing the interior walls. Only the two bathrooms were enclosed with the master bathroom enclosed entirely in glass, forming a feature within the space and dividing the interior volume. All the interior surfaces were refinished and wood inlays were added to the floor to illustrate the former location of the interior walls, holding the memory of the original house.