DIGS is the premiere luxury real estate lifestyle magazine serving the most affluent neighborhoods in the South Bay and Westside of Los Angeles, California.
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44 DIGS.NET | 12.9.2016 S W E E T D I G S B alance" is an elusive goal sought by most these days. One seeks to balance their personal and family life with their career aspirations and social desires; to find that perfect intersection where personal creativity meets the demands of daily life. If home is the stage where work, family, love and more are organized, then one should ideally have the right design for the job. Such is the case of a Modernist residence tucked into a residential street in West Los Angeles—a three-story compound just a few blocks west of the Sawtelle strip that overlooks a peaceful acre of green gardens. The MÜ/SH Residence Named the MÜ/SH Residence for its owners and originators, Los Angeles artists Manfred Muller and Rose Shoshana, the property was built as a stage where the two could twine their domestic, work and social lives. Better yet, it was designed as a place where these realms would mutually influence and inspire each other. "The house is not for everybody," states realtor Christina Hildebrand of Crosby Doe Associates. "For some it will be perfect. It's for creatives who want a live/work space—and love entertaining." The MÜ/SH Residence was designed by Studio 0.10 (now LAB+ and helmed by Studio 0.10 co-founder Andrew Liang), and done so in collaboration with Muller and Shoshana. Completed in 2008 and over 5,000 square feet, the home consists of a three- story main residential structure. Across the courtyard is a separate two-story structure with a spacious, sunlit studio and gallery as well as a smart one-bedroom apartment with a private entrance and yard. For architect Liang, neatly unifying these distinct components within the L.A.-sized property was key. When asked about a favorite challenge in designing the home, he says, "Fitting in the various program requirements without taking over the entire lot. Separating out the studio work space from the main house and adding in a fully self-functioning 'live-in' unit." The home is listed by Crosby Doe Associates, an L.A. real estate firm whose specialty is architectural real estate, and whose sale list reads like a Who's Who of architecture— there are Frank Lloyd Wright and Richard Neutra homes, along with those by John Lautner, Frank Gehry and more. Flexible Yet Specific From first gaze, the 3-bedroom, 5-bathroom residence is striking, its boxy Modernist silhouettes rising from the low-lying rooftops and mellow green garden of its neighbors. The oversized windows and the home's central staircase—visible to the exterior, and tucked behind glass—have all been meticulously placed. "It has an openness to every side," says Muller of the design, "and it frames the environment." As a result, the home is filled with a gentle rotation of glowing sunlight, and the windows, framed in smooth Brazilian ipe, serve as picturesque structures to the outdoors, nearly all with views of trees, garden and sky. "For in-fill lots, expansive outward views are typically rare," notes Liang, "but the wrap-around circulation that 'rings' the main house really offers a unique and engaging experience with the surrounding neighborhood."