Square With Flair
Simple touches give a boxy home specific architectural style
BEING SQUARE MAY BE FUN if you’re talking about a Rubik’s cube, but when you’re talking about a house that looks like an expressionless box, it’s just boring.
The ho-hum was plain to see at this Mission Hills house, but it was made more evident by the many Spanish Colonial Revival-style residences around the neighborhood.
Luckily, the upside to being a simple box is that style can be added — which is just what architect Ione Stiegler did to give this home more presence on the street as well as allow it to meld with the neighborhood aesthetic.
Square doors and windows received graceful curves and arches. Common molding was switched out to decorative trim. Iron railings, typical of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, were added. Clay tile roofing and the balcony’s new colorful, Malibu-style tile further enhanced the design.
The installation of a low-pitched roof at the entrance provided depth and interest to the exterior front façade as well as a welcoming porch that’s sheltered from the heat of the summer sun.
The home’s structure still is basically a square, but now with the right details and accents, square went from boring to charming.
Before & After: By Eva Ditler
After Photo (top): By Martin Mann
