Malibu, CA

Every element of this 5,500 square foot house has been modernized and styled to adapt to contemporary standards for home life, entertainment, and beach staycations. The exterior building palette was updated with deep-set, fire resistive siding, new metal clad windows and doors, and a bonderized standing seam roof.

Interior materials include pre-stained flooring, marble and porcelain tile and stone, and expressed roof rafters at the second floor Living/Dining/Kitchen area.

The two story entrance is a welcoming greenhouse space with a custom designed stair and railing – which was also applied to the second floor deck areas.

A ground floor Media Room and Prep Kitchen serves both movie fans and home chefs, and are adjacent to the 26’x46’ pool. The outdoor Kitchen and firepits are sited under a new steel pergola. The tennis court is bounded by newly planted Carrotwood trees.

Malibu, CA

One of the first projects to secure building permits after the Woolsey Fire, the U-shaped, courtyard scheme creates a central, outdoor room for reading, workouts, and dining. As the courtyard steps down to the garden, the roof lines veer up, linking the indoor and outdoor spaces. A minimalist palette of materials were used throughout: oak wood, concrete floors, and pale stucco colors.

Highland Park, CA

Perched above Highland Park, this two story ADU views the distant, snow-capped mountains.

Two bedrooms, bathroom, and Laundry are on the lower level. The Upper Level has a open plan Kitchen and Living Room, Powder Room, and wrap around decks. An Outdoor Room is designed for Dining, socializing, and direct access to the gardens.

Malibu, CA

This Woolsey Fire rebuild is a two-story home. Planted, sculpture roof gardens are a feature of the Entry sequence. The main public rooms – Living Room, Dining, Kitchen, Game Room, and guest suite are on the lower level. Family bedrooms are aligned on the second floor West wing.

Highland Park, Los Angeles

The project began with a simple mandate: convert the existing garage into an Accessory Dwelling Unit. As the project evolved, and garden and outdoor living needs were explored, a covered porch (it’s a legal carport!) was included.  

The finished work transformed the site into a Gardener’s Retreat. The ADU (245 square feet) is – at times – a rental unit with a living space, kitchenette, and bathroom, and a deep storage wall for the bed, shelves, and clothes. For the Homeowners, it’s a place to contemplate the garden, arrange flowers, entertain guests, and relish in the newly created indoor and outdoor spaces on their property.

Malibu, CA

Designed as a Guest Accommodations and a family Game Room, the exterior building palette is a direct nod to the Main House.

Highland Park, CA

In a sharp departure from the 1920s Main House, this very small ADU serves as the homeowner’s sanctuary for work, socializing, and cooking, when renters and guests stay in the Main House. Ten foot high ceilings add spaciousness and volume to a small footprint.

Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles

Republished in 2022, the original owner speaks to the enduring qualities of this house. Follow the link to Architectural Digest to read more about this stunning home.

Based on rigorous study of the forms and traditions of French Provençal houses, the simplicity of this large home belies the complexity of material choices, finishes, and spatial sequences. Traditional Genoise tile roof eaves, operable wood shutters, limestone fireplaces and floors, and beamed ceilings were detailed and applied to the composition of this house. Filled with comfortable rooms designed for family life, the house also provides a work area for the writer/director team.  A large library and office, 'pitch' library, and private screening room were developed in a separate wing of the house.

This home has been featured in several magazines, including House Beautiful, InStyle Home, and Architectural Record.

Malibu, CA

Stripped to its stud wall bones, this ‘70s home went through a complete rejuvenation - including several strategic additions - to bring light and modernity to an outdated plan and worn materials.  A contemporary palette includes steel troweled stucco, customized aluminum storefront systems, and refinished concrete slab floors.  Walnut cabinets, Thai silks, and a mix of porcelain, glass, and stone tiles complete the composition.

Exterior spaces adjacent to the house were regraded to create a large outdoor kitchen and entertainment area, a ball court for the kids, and a lounge area and fire pit near the pebble lined pool. Native plantings are mixed throughout the poured-in place concrete.

Malibu, CA

Glass partitions and walls create reflections and transparency between open spaces, exterior views, and interior adjacencies.  A two-story addition expanded the existing living room spaces, with extensive interior renovations to the kitchen, bathrooms, and building surfaces and lighting systems.

The new, glass enclosure includes a folding door system at the lower level, offset by Edward Durell Stone’s original concrete block decorative walls.  First published in Life Magazine in 1958 as a prototype for modern living, ED Stone envisioned a new concept in multi-family housing. 

The kitchen was reconfigured with 30” deep, ash-wood cabinets, white glass counters, and a dedicated coffee bar. A walk-in pantry and utility closet are located behind the end wall.  

Los Angeles, CA

Vista Hermosa Park, a nine-acre green oasis in downtown Los Angeles, was completed in 2009. ERW Design provided architectural design services for the Park Office building, adjacent trellis structure, two on site restroom facilities, and an outdoor teaching room. 

The park is a sustainable green zone and urban watershed demonstration project with an extensive network of natural features, park amenities, and native plant material.  Vista Hermosa Park serves the neighboring community and the adjacent Roybel School. 

Vista Hermosa Park has won several design awards, including Best Civic Project of 2009 and the Grand Prize Award 2009, from the Los Angeles Business Council, and the 2009 Los Angeles AIA Public Open Space Award. 

Malibu, CA

A private wellness center was designed to serve Clients as at a holistic treatment spa. Therapy and exercise rooms are arranged so that clients can benefit from a customized series of services. The Reception Area, Tea Room, and changing rooms and services areas are further amenities. 

The colors and material palette were inspired by the ocean, sky, and shore, and include vertical grain Douglas Fir, azul lagos limestone, and integrated color stucco. The sculptural fireplace is a central feature of the main meeting room.  Adjacent, outdoor spaces complement the Wellness Center. Plush, cushioned seating around an outdoor firepit create a relaxing environment after treatments. 

Elysian Valley, Los Angeles

Lewis MacAdams Park is the first regional park on the LA River.  The River Pavilion was designed to serve daily visitors, host special events, and sited as a frontispiece of the park. The 4,500 square foot structure references traditional Spanish style architecture and the historic fruit packing houses of the 1930s and mediates between the residential and industrial scales of the neighborhood. 

Point Dume, Malibu

Designed as both a residence and work studio, this C-shaped house combines loft-like family spaces with    more discrete bedroom suites tucked into the courtyard-facing wings. The 10 foot tall upper floor level accommodates living, dining and kitchen areas, and connects to an open-air green roof terrace. 

The home office and studio includes a private entrance, work room, conference room, ensuite bathroom and kitchenette, and is located on the ground floor.  Simple finishes and materials are used throughout: tinted concrete, asphalt floor tiles, white oak floors.  A vivid palette of wall colors is used throughout. 

 The Owner’s collection of birds’ nests is mounted on bamboo sections embedded in to an interior stucco Living Room wall. 

Brentwood, Los Angeles

A new, open-air Pool House, clad in ship-lap wood boards, is framed with a series of scissor trusses at the roof and dormers. Included in the structure is a fireplace, powder room, and pool storage area. A brick floor and board and batten interior walls complete the composition. The new pool and spa are bordered with bluestone coping.  The pool enclosure is bordered with a white picket fence.

A new wing to the 1940’s Main House added a Playroom, Pantry, Laundry Room, and Bedroom Suite. Bordered by hedges, espaliered fruit trees and perennials, a grassy open field links the various elements on the site. 

Global

Competitions are an invigorating process for a design studio.  When we’re moved by a competition ‘ask’, we set aside our usual work, and take on the challenge.  Projects presented here included a proposal for a prototype for a Glacier Mountain Hut for the National Park Service, revitalizing alley zones in LA as secondary throughways for ADUs, an AIDS Memorial Park in New York City, and a pop-up park concept, Park-in-A-Box. 

Westhampton Beach, NY

Located on a narrow strip between the Atlantic Ocean and Moriches Bay, this weekend retreat was designed for three (now four) generations of a large, active family, providing comfort for quiet moments, as well as dinnertime meals for twenty people. 

The spaces enjoy light-filled vistas, the ocean’s briny fragrance, and ample proportions. A tall living space is the house's focal point and is paired with an outdoor living area which doubles its size. A sail-cloth roof and slatted screen walls frame views and provide sunbathing privacy. 

Bedrooms and bathrooms are organized in an adjacent, two-story volume. Each bedroom enjoys a private deck and ocean views. A hot-tub room with sliding glass walls lets the steam mix with cooler ocean airs.

Malibu, CA

We are currently working with a number of Clients in the post-Woolsey Fire rebuild environment. In addition, several ADU projects are underway in the Bay Area, Highland Park, and Culver City. 

Elaine Rene-Weissman has contributed professional services to a number of communities in the LA area.  She served on SMMUSD Advisory Committee for the BB Bond Measure, and was also a member of the Design Review Team. She was a member of the Advisory Committee for the Northeast Riverfront Collaborative’s NELA Vision Plan for the LA River.  She has served on the City of Malibu’s Wastewater Advisory Committee for seven years, and currently serves on the City’s Environmental Review Board.  She has also participated in the Malibu Foundation’s efforts after the 2018 Woolsey Fire.

Project shown include Shark Fins, MHS; 2014 Parking Day with Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust “What If This Was a Park?”, and NELA Competition (Honorary Award.)

The LA River Public Art Project supports an inclusionary arts and culture infrastructure in all LA River revitalization projects. LARPAP has presented several public art installations and events: Ten Feet, The Course of Empire, and Art Talks on the River. 

Co-founded in 2013 by Elaine Rene-Weissman and Landscape Architect Esther Margulies, LARPAP received 501c3 status in 2017.  We envision a ribbon of curated, outdoor environments invigorated by Nature, Art, and Play.