The Venice Beach Contemporary Craftsman, or VBCC House, started as a renovation project for a growing family's small bungalow-style home. The design goal was to create an open, connected space that would flow from front to back, making it perfect for entertaining and taking advantage of the soothing Pacific breeze. Glass sliders on either end of the house allow for the wood flooring and ceiling to seem to extend into the decks and surrounding landscape.
As you approach the house from the street, you're led along a wall of charred wood and exposed cantilevered beams, up concrete steps to the unique entry door, which features a built-in planter with a filtration system. The second floor was added and includes three bedrooms, accessed via a central open stairwell filled with light from large northwest-facing windows and three skylights. The highest skylight can be opened, allowing natural ventilation to circulate the temperate coastal California air throughout the house.
The main bedroom has a private balcony with views of the Santa Monica Mountains and a wood railing that extends into the room and becomes an architectural headboard built into the wall. Clerestory windows in the main suite allow the wood cathedral ceiling to extend to the eaves, creating a sense of the roof floating above the structure. The main bathroom has a low wall with a frameless glass transom that unifies the suite while maintaining privacy and keeping the view of the corner window, which provides natural light for the tub.
The VBCC House was designed with special attention to fenestration and orientation, ensuring that natural lighting, ventilation, and privacy were balanced throughout the structure. This, along with the use of natural materials and a visual connection to the landscape, creates a calming oasis within the vibrant atmosphere of Venice Beach.
Main Entry | VBCC House
Entry view of the VBCC House by Conner + Perry Architects, featuring dramatic charred wood siding, cantilevered second-floor balcony with horizontal metal trim, and exposed glulam beams – Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
Front Facade, Night | VBCC House
Evening view of the VBCC House front yard by Conner + Perry Architects, looking through expansive glass sliders into the open-plan kitchen, dining, and living areas – seamless indoor-outdoor flow with continuous wood decking, charred wood siding, cantilevered master bedroom balcony, and rain chain draining into integrated planter, Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
Front Patio Planter | VBCC House
Close-up detail of cantilevered wood deck and architectural rain chain draining into integrated planter at the VBCC House by Conner + Perry Architects – seamless charred wood siding and decking, Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
Kitchen & Dining | VBCC House
Open-plan kitchen and dining area flowing seamlessly onto the front deck through full-height retractable glass sliding doors at the VBCC House by Conner + Perry Architects, Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
Main Entry Door | VBCC House
Signature indoor-outdoor integrated planter extending through full-height sidelight glass at the custom entry door, flowing into the open living room with retracted rear glass doors at the VBCC House by Conner + Perry Architects, Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
Lower Lever | VBCC House
Front-to-back visual axis through the open living area and central stairwell to the dining space and front wood deck beyond at the VBCC House by Conner + Perry Architects, Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
Stairwell | VBCC House
Light-filled living room and central open stairwell with natural daylight pouring through three overhead skylights at the VBCC House by Conner + Perry Architects, Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
Stairwell | VBCC House
Upper-level view of the central open stairwell with three skylights illuminating warm wood-finished ceilings and continuous hardwood floors at the VBCC House by Conner + Perry Architects, Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
Master Bedroom | VBCC House
Master bedroom suite at the VBCC House by Conner + Perry Architects featuring seamless clear-grain cedar railings and eaves extending from interior to exterior balcony, clerestory windows above the bed creating a floating ceiling effect, and operable glass doors opening to the private patio – Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
VBCC House - Master Bedroom
Seamless indoor-outdoor transition in the master bedroom suite at the VBCC House by Conner + Perry Architects: clear-grain cedar railings and eaves extending through operable glass doors and clerestory windows to the private cantilevered balcony – Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
Master Suite | VBCC House
Frameless glass clerestory and sliding door creating seamless visual flow from the master bedroom to the primary bathroom at the VBCC House by Conner + Perry Architects, with rich mahogany built-in millwork throughout – Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
Master Bathroom | VBCC House
Master bathroom at the VBCC House by Conner + Perry Architects featuring double vanity sinks, freestanding tub, stone flooring, and corner clerestory windows flooding the space with natural light – Venice Beach, California
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels
Section Diagram | VBCC
Section diagram illustrating passive stack-effect ventilation and cross-breeze airflow through the VBCC House, exiting via the operable top skylight in the central stairwell – Conner + Perry Architects, Venice Beach, California
