For a 620-square-foot addition to a spectacular wood-covered modern home in the northeast Los Angeles neighborhood of Hermon, architect Martin Fenlon was faced with the challenge of improving the original structure without compromising its pristine design and unique appearance.
One look at the “Annex,” as the L.A.-based designer calls it, and it’s clear he succeeded.
Fenlon’s design approach was to create an addition that is both an extension of, and transition to, the home’s newly formed backyard while maintaining a separate identity from the original home.
AIt all started with the notion of the indoor-outdoor living concept so popular in Southern California.
“The Annex’s large multi-slide door was central to the design; the space, which is filled with natural light, was actually planned around it,” Fenlon says. “The multi-slide integrates the new family room with the yard.”
“What sets Western Window Systems apart from the competition is the ability to do such a large wood multi-slide unit.” Martin Fenlon, Martin Fenlon Architecture
At 21 feet wide and 10 feet tall, the Series 2600 Aluminum-Clad Multi-Slide Wood Door also gave Fenlon the ability to maintain the wood-covered motif found throughout the home.
For instance, the original home features walnut flooring and the Annex, completed in 2018, has acacia flooring. The exterior doors and windows, including an eye-catching 9-foot-wide, 5.5-foot-high window on the front of the Annex that emulates a picture in a frame, are made of Douglas fir. The interior doors and cabinetry are clad in a teak veneer, and the home’s exterior siding is cedar.
Perpendicular to the new family room is an elevated pass-through window from a small outdoor bar to the kitchen. When the owners are entertaining, the huge picture window can slide completely open on a barn door track system, further blurring the lines between indoors and the outside.
“Western Window Systems' Series 2600 Aluminum-Clad Wood Sliding Door exceeded California's stringent energy requirements.” Martin Fenlon, Martin Fenlon Architecture
To top it off, literally and figuratively, a lovely rooftop deck sits above the Annex.
Says Fenlon: “When you’re up there, you feel like you’re nestled in between the original house, the tree canopies, and the hills in the distance. At night, you can sit up there and see the stars.”
“Western Window Systems fulfilled perfectly our goal of having the largest wood sliding doors available, with a flush threshold and the option to have zero trim around the frame.” Martin Fenlon, Martin Fenlon Architecture
Dealer: Elite Building Materials
