Virtually 7-years ago (to the day) I emigrated to Australia with my family in pursuit of a better life. Certainly, this amazing country has massively exceeded my expectations and I now consider it home. However, I have got ties with the United Kingdom in particular rental properties. One of my apartments is located in a historical building and resembles a Manhattan-style loft. I meticulously renovated the property by adding a freestanding solid beech kitchen, designer column radiators and Victorian panelled wooden doors. Recently I have considered selling it so I can raise finances to build a house in Adelaide. If this does actuate I would be tempted to design something like Glentree Road. This amazing home was completed in 2013 by award-winning practice, W3 Architects.
Contemplating building your own house can be a very daunting prospect. Therefore, it is absolutely crucial to find the right architect. It doesn’t necessarily have to a renowned architect that has won multiple awards but more someone you can work with. Many architects admit they have sometimes been more fixated on their own vision rather than their client’s requirements. It is clear W3 Architects haven’t made this mistake because they have created a beautiful home for the owners.
W3 Architects is the brainchild of Warren Wagner and was established in 1993. Located in Venice, California in the United States, this boutique firm is heavily focused on aesthetics. A brilliant example is Glentree Road, Santa Monica Canyon. The original brief from the owners was to remodel their existing house. The transformation is pretty staggering and now the internal living space has increased to 2,518 square feet. Mainly this has been achieved by adding a functional upper level.
Originally Glentree Road was a ranch style house built in the early 1950s. Even though this property has a contemporary appearance, many rustic elements have been retained. For example, bespoke wooden cabinets, exposed (whitewashed) exposed brick walls and stone tiled floors. This theme is echoed outside and the abundance of glass bathes the house in natural light. Overall the composition is highly effective and very inspiring.
