A Low-Slung, Glass-Walled Home Is Tucked Into Malibu’s Verdant Landscape

Hidden from the dense oceanfront in Malibu, California, this restoration by Brininstool + Lynch promises solitude and garden views.

Mar 30, 2021 - 00:17

A Low-Slung, Glass-Walled Home Is Tucked Into Malibu’s Verdant Landscape

Hidden from the dense oceanfront in Malibu, California, this restoration by Brininstool + Lynch promises solitude and garden views.

Privacy in Malibu is hard to come by. Most of the area’s commodious beachfront houses are packed close together, which is why Brad Lynch, principal and president of Chicago architecture firm Brininstool + Lynch, was intrigued by a residence that stood apart.

The actual site of the 1955 residence is one of the first aspects that appealed to the client. "Situated on a flag lot tucked away by tall 20-foot-tall hedges, [the home is] a secret that only reveals itself once you get inside," he says.
Photo by Christopher Barrett

In 2017, one of Lynch’s loyal clients asked him to fly out to Los Angeles to scope out the home, which he was keen to buy. "A lot of the properties in Malibu are relatively exposed, but this one is down a side road that gets you off the street. It’s rare to get this kind of quiet there while the Pacific Ocean is still within walking distance," says Lynch.

The home is nestled into a canyon and surrounded by the Santa Monica Mountains, and it was this dramatic setting that initially called out to Lynch—but its distinct architecture captured his intrigue, too.

"The combination of the low, sprawling midcentury ranch with a more than one-acre expanse of mature palms just spoke to us. Everything felt like it belonged right there and nowhere else," explains the owner.
Photo by Christopher Barrett

The Malibu home, dubbed the Mariposa House, was built in 1955 by Frank Lloyd Wright protégé Alfred T. "Hap" Gilman, who was also known for his Spanish Colonial–style creations. Despite its rundown state, Lynch thought the residence was a stellar example of California modernism. The "good bones" of the structure, which flaunted a mix of earthy stone, wood, and glass, are also what impressed the client.