Ridgeline House

Location
Pasadena, California

Size
4,800 square feet

Status
Completed 2010
With its redwood cladding and contrasting gull-wing roofline, the Ridgeline house perches high above Pasadena, with breathtaking views of the city below.
Constructed in 1967 by Mortimer J. Matthews, the original post and beam structure allowed for floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors, providing flexibility and visual connection to the surrounding landscape. Design for the major renovation and addition began in late summer 2008, and focused on preserving the distinctive cruciform plan and folded roof planes, while strategically lifting portions of the roof to bring in more light and add interior square footage. The west end of the house was elongated and exterior siding removed and replaced with full-height glass doors and clerestories to capture the west light and direct it inward through the bedrooms and interior hallway toward the more public areas of the house.

The primary challenges were to maximize the visual and circulatory connections between inside and out and to filter natural light to the central axis, all while maintaining the midcentury character of the interior. Removal of several interior partitions united dark, disengaged spaces into one open great room where the family spends most of its time, and where floor-to-ceiling sliding glass walls blur the distinctions between landscape and room.




While the midcentury plan capitalized on the stunning 200-degree city views, the reorganization of the program introduced new connections to southern and western exposures, and opportunities for a more private indoor-outdoor "room."
 




A semi-enclosed private master bath courtyard additionally draws the landscape in with a glass curtainwall that disappears into the restored redwood siding, tying the old and new together.
 

 


Project Team
Montalba Architects
Sarlan Builders
The Office of Gordon L. Polon
Antieri & Haloossim Consulting
Rothman Engineering, Inc.
R.T. Frankian & Associates
John Brubaker Architectural Lighting
Bulthaup
Micro Connection
Elysian Landscapes

Photography
Dominique Vorillon
Awards
2011 Remodeling Design - Grand Award
2011 Builder's Choice Design & Planning Award - Grand Award
2011 Custom Home Design - Custom Kitchen
2011 Custom Home Design - Custom Bath
2011 Residential Arch. Merit - Custom Kitchen
2011 Builder’s Choice - Design & Planning
2011 SCDF Design Awards
2010 AIAPF Design Honor Award Renovation
Publications
PLASTOLUX, August 2015
WAN INTERIORS, July 2015

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