| Completed in 2015, the Inishnee House is a 4,000 square-foot contemporary modern family residence that sits on a flagpole lot in the center of Pasadena's historic Oak Knoll neighborhood. The project's scope included a new residence, 61ft long pool, pool cabana, and drought tolerant landscape that replaced the previous 1960s era home. Taking cues from its predecessor, the footprint of the home is set closer to the northern property line, allowing for a larger garden at the south around the pool and outdoor living areas.
The program and layout of the house were inspired by the homeowner's interests, talents, and travels, making it a fusion of multipurpose spaces that embody family, art, and entertainment with an emphasis on culinary arts. As a chef instructor, one of the homeowners' programmatic needs centered around the kitchen; having a large naturally lit space including an oversized island set up for cooking demonstrations with direct access to the garden. The other homeowner, who collects modern art, asked for large gallery walls to display art and an overall Zen-like quality of open free flowing spaces inside and outside the home.
Echoing the language of efficiency of the Case Study House model, the residence and landscape work in tandem to create interstitial spaces that benefit from one another, respond to climate, and transform as the day goes by. Responsive horizontal louvers were introduced above the dining pavilion, pool cabana and master bedroom terraces as a dynamic shading solution for these outdoor living spaces. Tier 3 stormwater management practices were also part of the project, which included a stormwater retention system designed to prevent site run-off and provide erosion control.
The new home is oriented around a central corridor connecting the front and rear facades, acting as the central branch from which its other spaces are accessed while remaining open to daylight on both sides. Drawing from the values of simplicity and flexibility, the movement across the residence and landscape play to the notion of frame and reveal. The design is built upon layers of structure and light which create the framework for the more organic composition of the garden and central sculpture that act as one of the home's most important reveals. The bronze sculpture, commissioned from an artist in Ireland, was envisioned to be a dramatic focal point from the front door. The pool, resting intimately next to the structure, frames its surroundings through mirroring and continuing elements of line, light, and surface.
Edges of the home's form born from its overlapping, nested, and extruded masses create moments of play between light and shadow that further blur the lines of mass and perspective. These slippages characterize the exterior of the residence, but also inform an attitude within the interior spaces of the home by giving natural light the opportunity to liven otherwise inanimate surfaces.
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