BERRYMAN HOUSE

CULVER CITY 
LOS ANGELES

SAEZ PEDRAJA ARCHITECTS

LOCATION: CULVER CITY, LOS ANGELES (CALIFORNIA)

  





Located in Culver City, Los Angeles, the Berryman House reimagines a traditional Craftsman bungalow through a second-story addition and rear extension. With distinct identities at the front and back, the project reflects contemporary large family and multigenerational living while exploring how to add meaningful square footage without altering the perceived scale of the neighborhood.

The double-height kitchen/dining area is the social heart of the house. The living room, at a lower level is the connection with the outdoors.



The central question is how a house can expand in a contemporary way while preserving the airy, light-filled character long associated with Los Angeles—resisting the increasingly overbuilt, boxy domestic landscape and maintaining the city’s rich variety of residential historical typologies.


The primary suite volume cantilevers over the backyard, forming the rear façade of the house in contrast to the discreet, traditional presence at the front.



The built-in window seat integrated into the kitchen cabinetry offers a connection with the front porch.


The second story volume is only visible at certain diagonal angles from the outside



The project preserves the original roofline and perceived ridge height of the bungalow. To do so, the rear addition is built at grade rather than on a raised foundation, allowing the living room to sit slightly lower than the rest of the house. This subtle shift keeps the two-story addition within the range of the original roof profile while creating a more fluid connection between the interior and the backyard. As a result, the house is experienced as a sequence of sectional moments—where compression, openness, and visual overlap shape everyday life—rather than as a series of conventional floor plates.


The project remains discreet toward the street, preserving the existing scale and character of the neighborhood.


The upper addition hovers above the garden landscape.


The new volume appears to emerge from the existing bungalow roof

 
The central location of the stairs separates the Living area from the bedroom wing 

The former attic is incorporated into a double-height kitchen and dining space that becomes the heart of the home. Above, the upper-level bedrooms have interior windows that foster visual connections with this kitchen dining space and a shared spatial experience throughout the house.


From left to right, the kitchen includes a built-in seat, an island with a detachable table, and a counter-height peninsula that connects to the living room.


At the rear, the second story cantilevers over the patio, creating a transitional zone between interior and exterior and providing a shaded outdoor gathering area. This projecting volume, which forms part of the primary suite and accommodates the balcony and bathroom, reveals the home’s concealed rear façade: a contemporary expression that contrasts deliberately with the traditional Craftsman character of the primary exterior.

New volume overhangs over backyard seating area.


Overhang volume with master seating area and balcony 


The contemporary volume of the second story addition emerges from the bungalow roof 


The exterior of the second-story addition is clad in corrugated metal panels, introducing a contemporary expression that contrasts with the traditional wood siding of the Craftsman house. The dark-toned metal allows the volume to read as an extension of the roof rather than a distinct added mass. In contrast, the interior-facing surfaces of the new volume are lined with wood paneling, allowing the warmth of the interior to extend outward into the outdoor spaces.


Balcony area with dark corrugated metal, cedar panelling and metal grid guardrail 


The interior palette is intentionally restrained. White walls allow the intersection of volumes to be perceived clearly and without visual distortion, while maximizing the diffusion of natural light throughout the house. Interior windows form an “internal façade” that reinforces the conceptual reading of the added volume and promotes visual connections between spaces.

Interior windows connect visually the bedrooms with the common areas
 


Transition from raised foundation level (bedrooms, entry and kitchen/dining) to living room area.



Flooring materials distinguish old from new: the raised-floor areas of the existing house have wood flooring, while the ground-level living room is finished in polished concrete, poured as part of the slab-on-grade addition. In the kitchen, an organic field of hexagonal tile transitions into the adjacent wood flooring, marking a subtle shift between program and material. Dark green cabinetry in the kitchen and dining area introduces a measured color accent within the otherwise neutral interior.


View of the kitchen from one of the upper story bedrooms.



Counter separates kitchen area from living room. 


Built-in seating integrated into the cabinetry creates a playful nook adjacent to the front window, strengthening the relationship between the porch and the interior. A custom dining table is designed to either attach to the kitchen island or detach to form an independent dining setting, allowing flexibility in how the space is used.

Built in seat, island and kitchen floor material transition 



The Berryman House brings together old and new through small but deliberate shifts in section, light, and material. The result is a home that feels open and connected without drawing attention to its size, allowing daily life to unfold naturally within the familiar fabric of the neighborhood.  




   






   
     
  
CREDITS  


Architect

Juan Saez Pedraja / Saez Pedraja Architects


Architectural Team /3D

Daniel Guerra Rubio 


Contractor  

Jon Steinberg

Guri Milavski 

Structural Engineer

Zenith engineering 

Photography

Ignacio Espigares Enriquez