Aspegren
Replacing a 1950s ranch house in La Jolla Village called for restraint. The neighborhood is famously resistant to new construction, and the design needed to earn its place without confrontation. The solution drew on the early modernism of Irving Gill with clean cubic geometries, an emphasis on courtyard living, and a material palette suited to the Southern California climate. The client first envisioned the house as a vacation retreat and eventually as a permanent home designed for aging in place, with enough room for his three adult children and future grandchildren.

The house is composed of two double story volumes connected by a glass bridge. A two-story trellis between them creates a filtered-light outdoor foyer, inspired by the Case Study House tradition, that serves as the main arrival moment before branching left to the entrance and right to the garage with gym and storage above. Inside, a stair and entry hall lead to the great room, with an open kitchen, living room, and direct access to the pool. At street level, a family room doubles as a future ground-floor primary suite for the owners as they age, alongside a third guest suite and adjacent bath. Two bedroom suites occupy the second floor, connected by the bridge to a primary suite with full bath, separate closets, and an ocean-view deck. A pool with spa and a covered outdoor kitchen anchor the rear yard. The facades alternate wood and cement plaster between floors and between volumes, creating a dynamic material exchange that keeps the cubic forms from reading as static.