This Little, Blue Silver Lake ADU Hides a Surprisingly Airy Interior

When Dave Binegar and Aaron Rivera (a creative executive and artist, respectively) bought their 100-year-old bungalow in Silver Lake, it was intended to be a starter home: somewhere cozy to stay while they worked toward something bigger and better. But the realities of L.A. real estate caught up to them eventually, and they warmed to the idea of staying put. To make it work, they’d need a little more room to spread their wings—which meant the little shed out back that Aaron used as an art studio would need to start pulling its weight (or at least get some plumbing). 

Then Dave read about Bunch Design in an L.A. Times article, and the couple decided they’d found just the studio to help make their ADU dreams come true. Dave was immediately taken by the firm’s use of light. "There was something that just resonated with me," he says. "We wanted something beautiful but small, that maximized room to breathe, and I love the way they bring the outside in." 

Principals Hisako Ichiki and Bo Sundius were similarly taken with the creative couple. "We saw the art everywhere and said, ‘we have to do this, we have to help them make space for all this wonderful stuff,’" says Ichiki. A few conversations later, and Bunch began reconfiguring one of their existing ADU designs into 350 square feet. Operation Backyard Expansion was a go.