On the Upslope

On the Upslope
On the Upslope
A former drug den is redeveloped as a fun, modernist beach-themed home.

Sometimes a home just perfectly fits the town where it’s located. Case in point: Avocado Acres, a home that’s a little quirky, a lot cool, and totally one of a kind, just like the city in which it exists: Encinitas, California.

The 2,800-square-foot home, with its sloped roof’s unique curvilinear profile unifying three pavilions, exudes a sense of fun. It’s all part of developer Steve Hoiles’ efforts to recapture the essence of the beach community, because as the owner of Surfside Projects says, “Natural light in abundance is an important part of our lives and the company’s goals.”

The home's curvilinear roof provides a unique profile.
The home's curvilinear roof provides a unique profile.

Indeed, natural light fills what used to be a dilapidated drug house before Hoiles and architect Lloyd Russell (“It’s an uber-collaborative project,” Hoiles says) got hold of it. The resulting home was listed No. 2 on Dwell.com’s list of the top 20 homes of 2017.

The open floor plan, with its modernist concrete walls and natural wood tones on the vaulted ceiling, seems bigger than it really is thanks to a massive 9-foot-tall pocketed multi-slide door that opens from the kitchen/dining area to a courtyard that would be mostly covered if not for that unique curvilinear roof, out of which a huge half-moon shape appears to have been carved. And in the main living space, with its stylish Midcentury Modern-style furniture and small fireplace for cool oceanside evenings, a series of clerestory windows rings the room, each getting bigger as the slope of the roof gains in elevation.

On the opposite end of the courtyard, the master bedroom features Series 600 Sliding Glass Doors that face other across the bed, completely opening up the room to fresh California breezes.

“It is truly incredible for me to design, build, and live in SoCal, where one is connected to nature and can celebrate it with floor-to-ceiling glass doors everywhere,” Hoiles says.

“It is truly incredible for me to design, build, and live in SoCal, where one is connected to nature and can celebrate it with floor-to-ceiling glass doors everywhere” Steve Hoiles, developer, Surfside Projects
The main living space features an array of clerestory windows that get bigger with the increasing elevation of the roof.
The main living space features an array of clerestory windows that get bigger with the increasing elevation of the roof.

And those doors seemingly are everywhere.

Take the incredibly sleek master bathroom, with its large walk-in shower, huge soaking tub, extra-wide vanity and basin, and colorfully graphic tile floor. It also features a Series 600 Sliding Glass Door to complement the skylight above for a peaceful, light-bathed sanctuary.

This multi-slide door opens from the kitchen/dining area to the backyard.
This multi-slide door opens from the kitchen/dining area to the backyard.

Still another appears in the cute breakfast nook, which opens to a small side yard.

Say Hoiles: “These doors are important to our pragmatic design approach to modernism, blurring indoor and outdoor spaces seamlessly for the inhabitants.”

Dealer: Window Visions Inc.

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