Architecture: Relaxing Malibu Residence by Bestor Architecture

On a sizable, level piece of real estate with a backyard lawn that extends to a fruit grove, the clients stumbled on some dilapidated buildings ( a three-bedroom house together with a couple of unlinked guest houses ) that were in need of restoration. Their objective, instead of leveling the structures, was to bring together and logically link what was a hodgepodge of plain structures.

The owners, who knew architect Barbara Bestor, were working on a plan for a number of years, which would refurbish all the structures but in a unified, beach design and style. The architectural work would be done by Bestor Architecture, and the proprietor supervised the interior work while closely collaborating with Bestor's team. The primary house was previously shut off and the rooms were small. There was no connection to the exterior. Bestor Architecture's answer was to elevate the central part of the house, producing a completely new great room, which had radiant flooring surfaces that opened fully to the terrace and grassed areas. The architects subsequently upturned the typical gabled roof, producing a butterfly design that lets in sunlight and air.

The idea of indoor-outdoor living is captured and amplified by the inclusion of skylights and clerestory windows and taking the board-and-batten treatment of the exterior walls to the interior. The identical upholstery materials were chosen for interior built-ins and outside cushions. Bestor Architecture designed all of the custom cabinets.

Photography by:  Laure Joliet

This article originally appeared in Architectural Digest. Read more about the project here.