Villa Estherbee was designed as an addition to a small bungalow for a creative and talented couple (a filmmaker and cartoonist) and their lovely daughter, Estherbee. The original bungalow was built in 1946, and had all of the characteristics of such a building: compartmentalized spaces, low ceilings, small window openings… and charm. The budget was small and the clients needed to remain in the existing home as long as possible during construction, requiring the bungalow to remain largely intact.
The addition allows for a shift in lifestyle and a reinterpretation of the existing spaces. The bungalow now serves the more private function of a guest suite, and was only altered on the second level with the addition of a dormer (which functions as a look-out tower for Estherbee from her bedroom). The addition extends from the front house into the backyard, taking advantage of the long narrow site. The main level opens up to accommodate a more contemporary way of living—spaces are fluid in both plan and section. In this way the addition accommodates contemporary life and fosters openness and creativity within the family that it shelters.
The transition from old to new is marked by a bend in the main axis of the house and with a multi-storey opening which connects the kitchen with the library above, and allows daylight and color to spill down from upstairs. A glass guardrail surrounds this opening and permits the passage of light and color, and creates reflections which make the spaces it connects appear to fold and unfold into and out of each other. This dramatic space is where the plan pivots and dematerializes through large expanses of glass to the lush exterior.
The stair, which is located in this bend and open to three stories, permits light through tall narrow windows. The light reflects off of the sculptural orange wall around which the stair turns, and at the top of the stair one is again greeted by the double height space of the library and kitchen. A secret door from Estherbee’s closet opens onto this space, allowing her to sit in the light with her parents to read or draw. The addition opens up again with the Master Bedroom connected to the Living Room below. The same orange from the stair is painted here on a vertical surface which is not directly visible from either the Master Bedroom or the Living Room, but is apparent in both spaces through its reflected warmth.
Villa Estherbee was constructed with equal concern for the environment and budget, both being trusted to the architect’s care. The framing of the rear wall that was removed from the existing bungalow was recycled into the framing of the new structure, insulated with icynene to limit off-gassing. This opening allowed for the orientation of the site to be used to the building’s advantage, with the long axis running north and south, satisfactorily sunlit and shaded by trees. The 2000-square foot addition was completed for $100 per square foot.