Project Type : Residential Location : Venice, CA Building size : 1,600 SF Completed : 2020 Photographers : Sam Frost, Edmund Sumner A uniquely small single family home tucked into a tight lot near the ocean, the design is reminiscent of sculptural driftwood that has washed ashore. Sustainable features include recycling the 2x6 board forms from the basement concrete pour into the framing of the structural walls of the floors above, solar panels, cladding sourced from recycled highway snow fence wood, and drought tolerant landscaping. This driftwood house is a mass of timber and glass perched atop a podium of concrete. With its proximity to the ocean, this small home is a sculpture within a coastal garden. Maximizing the feeling of indoor/outdoor space, a large glass wall silently opens to the sky with the flip of a switch. The interior has no partitions and in section flows seamlessly together from a sunken basement courtyard up to the primary bedroom at the top. Designed as a starter home for young professionals moving to the Venice area, spaces are small, efficient, and always connected to the neighborhood and natural environment around them.