The Norwich Residence by Clive Wilkinson Architects in Hollywood, California

The Norwich Residence Bathroom Design

The Norwich Residence Bedroom Design

The Norwich Residence by Clive Wilkinson Architects in Hollywood, California

The Norwich Residence Dining Room

The Norwich Residence Living Room Design

The Norwich Residence Office

The Norwich Residence Shower Design

The Norwich Residence Swimming Pool

Here is The Norwich Residence by Clive Wilkinson Architects located in Hollywood, California. This house has 3,300 sq ft of Floor Area.

The house was designed by and for the architect on an inner urban lot in West Hollywood, California. The design needed to address two separate issues. From an urban design perspective, it needed to conform to City of West Hollywood design guidelines and fit into a small scale residential neighborhood, at the same time as transitioning in scale from the adjacent commercial strip of Melrose Avenue. In response to interest from friends, it also needed to provide a kind of prototype for an economical ‘starter urban house’ that would accommodate the new young urbanite lifestyle.

In an effort to reduce the house to a set of essential ideas, responses to existing conditions began to set the pattern of the house. The mass to the street was broken down allowing a single story over the garage and roof terrace. It was possible to screen the front yard with greenery, so an olive grove was planted up to the street. On entering the front gate, a visitor can see the full depth of the site – from the olive grove, through the glazed living room, to the rear yard and swimming pool – which enlarges the scale of the house. The living room is compressed in height, but opens to the two-story kitchen/dining room. All links between rooms are articulated on the diagonal with openings in corners, which again enlarges the sense of space.

The house addresses contemporary California living. There is one unified social space – the heart of the house – comprising living, dining and kitchen. Bedrooms are simple spaces re-convertible into studio or office type uses, especially the upstairs front room which is divided with a sliding wall. The master bedroom is located on the ground to emphasize a separation from the outside world (no views over the neighborhood) and a close link to the heart of the house. It has open bath and dressing areas, and a concealed video projection system for watching TV or movies in bed. The bathroom has a freestanding bath that opens to the pool via sliding doors, and the shower has double glass doors that allow wet bathers to shower directly after swimming without wetting the interior. Video projection is also used in the living room.

Architect : Clive Wilkinson
Location : Hollywood, California
Photography : Benny Chan, Fotoworks