A Wood-Clad Beach Pad Flourishes on a Narrow Lot in Santa Monica
An architect makes the most of a narrow lot by prioritizing natural light and outdoor space over square footage.
![A Wood-Clad Beach Pad Flourishes on a Narrow Lot in Santa Monica](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6272473203005894656/6752065870617313280-small/built-in-window-seats-and-library-shelving-provide-storage-and-a-place-to-sit.jpg?#)
An architect makes the most of a narrow lot by prioritizing natural light and outdoor space over square footage.
![Built-in window seats and library shelving provide storage and a place to sit.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6272473203005894656/6752065870617313280-large/built-in-window-seats-and-library-shelving-provide-storage-and-a-place-to-sit.jpg)
When architect Juan Saez Pedraja first met with new clients to build a home in the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica, each half of the couple leaned in a different aesthetic direction. "He wanted an industrial look, but she wanted something super traditional—very cottagey and beachy," says Saez Pedraja. "Sometimes that is a red flag for architects, but for me it seemed like an interesting challenge because of the character of the area."
![Saez Pedraja Architecture designed a two-bedroom, 1,600-square-foot home on a narrow city lot in the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6272473203005894656/6752065892167876608-medium/saez-pedraja-architecture-designed-a-two-bedroom-1600-square-foot-home-on-a-narrow-city-lot-in-the-ocean-park-neighborhood-of-santa-monica.jpg)
Saez Pedraja Architecture designed a two-bedroom, 1,600-square-foot home on a narrow city lot in the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica.
Ignacio Espigares Enriquez
![The front courtyard extends the living space off the kitchen, and connects the home to the neighborhood.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6272473203005894656/6752065812572577792-medium/the-front-courtyard-extends-the-living-space-off-the-kitchen-and-connects-the-home-to-the-neighborhood.jpg)
The front courtyard extends the living space off the kitchen, and connects the home to the neighborhood.
Ignacio Espigares Enriquez
![The design team treated the cedar siding with a product to give it a silvery patina that suited the neighborhood context, and anodized aluminum windows and doors match the standing-seam roof.](https://images.dwell.com/photos-6272473203005894656/6752065939012395008-medium/the-design-team-treated-the-cedar-siding-with-a-product-to-give-it-a-silvery-patina-that-suited-the-neighborhood-context-and-anodized-aluminum-windows-and-doors-match-the-standing-seam-roof-the-design-captures-the-spirit-of-this-eclectic-and-evolving-neig.jpg)
The design team treated the cedar siding with a product to give it a silvery patina that suited the neighborhood context, and anodized aluminum windows and doors match the standing-seam roof. "The design captures the spirit of this eclectic and evolving neighborhood, exhibiting both contemporary clean and straight lines but also a gable roof and cedar siding reminiscent of a traditional cottage feeling and material—something to reclaim the beachy character of the neighborhood," says Saez Pedraja.
Ignacio Espigares Enriquez
See the full story on Dwell.com: A Wood-Clad Beach Pad Flourishes on a Narrow Lot in Santa Monica
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