BACHELOR PAD
RESIDENCE

\ LOCATION

Hollywood Hills, CA

\ SCOPE

This project focused on creating a very sleek, stylized environment for a young business man.

Although a multitude of stylish nightclubs are within a stone's throw from his home, he requested a simple zen-like garden in which to entertain his guests without having to make the trek down the hill to the Sunset Strip.

This home is located high in the Hollywood Hills and commands an enviable view towards downtown Los Angeles to the east and the Ocean to the west.

Douglas Durkin Design was commissioned to redesign the entire interior of the house, and was also responsible for selecting the Café Noir Marble patio and terrace flooring.

Taking my cues from the earthy hues of this marble, I focused on primitive-feeling oversized containers in a natural beige color, complemented by custom designed Brazilian Cherry planter boxes.

I felt that the facade of the house was simple enough that I could get away with dramatic plant pairings. I focused on architectural compositions of specimen tree Aloes, exotic cardboard palms (Zamias), silver and green toned Agaves and a myriad of other smaller succulents, such as Echeverias, Aeoniums and Senecios.

Oversize pots at the pool terrace were filled with graceful Queen Palms to help soften the 3-story rear facade and rows of ‘Alphonse Karr’ bamboo were planted to achieve some instant privacy from the neighboring patio terraces.

Since the client entertains outside throughout much of the year, he requested an exterior fireplace. I designed a low-slung gas fireplace and veneered it with a Beryllium limestone in a dry-stack pattern to complement the marble flooring.

The existing infinite edge pool was also re-tiled in a simple dark blue tile and re-plastered a French Grey.

The next phase of this project focuses on creating a series of landscaped terraced spaces on the rear slope behind the pool. The theme for that garden will be tropical-modern with clusters of mature King Palm trees and plenty of hammocks for relaxing.