Irvine Cove

Irvine Cove

Nestled at the end of a cul-de-sac in a private southern California beach community, this house occupies a site with spectacular vistas of the Pacific Ocean. The compound is entered along a fifty-foot long sustainable-growth hardwood (ipe) wall.

Irvine Cove

The house is an expansive series of spaces underneath a giant floating horizontal plane which is supported on stone masses, wood walls, and slender steel columns.

Irvine Cove
Irvine Cove
Irvine Cove

Oversized sliding glass doors pocket completely away to dissolve the physical boundaries between interior and exterior, creating an uninterrupted flow from the rear courtyard through the main living space to the pool area, all against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean.

Irvine Cove
Irvine Cove
Irvine Cove

Guest and children's bedrooms open onto a protected courtyard in the rear, while the master suite commands a layered view over the swimming pool and seascape beyond. The master bath opens onto its own private meditation garden.

Irvine Cove
Irvine Cove

The house is a beautiful, beautiful piece of art.”

Sarah McElroy, Owner

Irvine Cove
Irvine Cove

Massive walls of stacked limestone are a counterpoint to the structure's strong horizontality, becoming fireplaces indoors.

Irvine Cove

A variety of outdoor living and entertaining spaces are formed by stone floors that extend outside, in composition with ipe decks, concrete and landscaping. The main garden space includes a pool, with an adjacent sitting area with fireplace sheltered by a roof canopy.

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Project
  • Irvine Cove
Location
  • Laguna Beach, California
Year
  • 2013
Size
  • 7,500 sf
Collaborators
  • LA Studio - Landscape
    C.W. Howe Partners - Structural
    Toal Engineering, Inc - Civil
    E2 Lighting - Lighting
    Jamie Bush & Co. - Interior
    Buwalda Construction - Contractor
Photographers
  • Roger Davies
    Nicolas Marques
    Miranda Brackett
Awards
  • 2015 Chicago Athenaeum, American Architecture Award
  • 2014 AIA Orange County, Citation Award