Architect Brad Lynch of Brininstool + Lynch connected the guest house (left) to the residence and increased fenestration. The pool chaises are refurbished 1950s-era finds.
We’ve all heard houses described as “having good bones,” but some might require X-ray vision to see them. Were it not for this acute ability to perceive beneath the surface, the forty-something owner of this Malibu residence – a software exec with a wife and two young children – might have passed up the structure.
Designed in the mid-1950s by Alfred T. “Hap” Gilman, and added onto in the 1970s and again in 2004, it had not been well maintained and suffered from a multitude of infelicities: crumbling floors of slate tile interspersed with areas of carpet-covered concrete, two fireplaces set into stone walls that blocked spectacular views of the Santa Monica Mountains and, recalls architect Brad Lynch of Brininstool + Lynch, “an HVAC system on the roof that made it look like a shopping mall.”
His job, describes Lynch, was “giving the client the feeling they had when they came into the house, but making it livable for many years to come.” He started by taking off the roof and saving whatever wood beams could be salvaged. There were five rustic stone walls, but the two with fireplaces were neither structural nor original, so out they went.
The three remaining walls were disassembled so builder Kyle Williams could frame them properly and better waterproof them. Then, Williams adds, “I worked with the owner and Brad to place the rocks back in a way that recreated the original look.” This strategy increased fenestration along the rear facade, estimates Williams, by about 35%, which required extra steel support.
Lynch reconfigured the interior and, he notes, “We found ways to add onto it, making it more gracious and functional without being obvious,” such as extending both the kitchen and primary bedroom. They poured terrazzo floors throughout, running them outside around the pool with an acid-etched texture. This enhanced the indoor-outdoor connection.
Then the team put the roof back on. And here is where a little X-ray vision would reveal an incredible feat: within its slim 7.5-inch profile, describes Lynch, “we packed in insulation, HVAC, electrical and plumbing, as well as a fire-suppressant system.” Everything had to be meticulously thought out, like a puzzle. It’s held up with the salvaged beams augmented by others – all made of Douglas fir. “I don’t like to have anything but lights in the ceiling,” adds Lynch, who left a larger gap between the slats on opposite lengths of ceiling to serve as supply and return vents.
Rooms are outfitted with contemporary furnishings and era-appropriate accents. Interior cabinets and millwork separate spaces along the length of the enfilade of spaces. These, observes Lynch, “are all new, but with a nod to the midcentry modern design of the house. They evoke a feeling without being literal.”
The home turned out so beautifully that the client, for whom Lynch had done five previous projects (mostly in the Midwest), now spends most of his time here, nestled into a canyon and surrounded by lush gardens designed by Pamela Burton & Company.
Thanks to this sensitive reimagining, the bones of this Gilman jewel are actually stronger. And something you don’t even need X-ray vision to see.
Photography by Christopher Barrett.
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