Designed by Redondo Beach-based architect David J. Boyd (www.boydarchitects.com) and built in 2010, this 7,254 square foot residence sits on a 0.6 acre corner lot. The home replaces a 3,426, single-level L-shaped ranch style home built in 1968 which the current owner purchased in 2007 for $2.3M.
As you can tell from the photos and the aerials, the new home keeps the same basic footprint and orientation as the original. At first, I wondered why - the street it faces is a much more active thoroughfare than the side street to its north. And then it hit me - the views! From the second floor of this house, you have a peak-a-boo ocean/city view.
Anyhow, I haven't seen much of this architect's work before, but a quick perusal on the website shows that he hasn't done a terrible amount of work on the Peninsula. Judging from this home and the few he has listed in the Mediterranean variety, I would rate him average. The rendering of this home (all these new school architects and their CAD drawings!) is below.
Even from the rendering, I feel there is something very off about this home. For one, the wood in the rendering is too light - should be dark, grainy wood. Thankfully this was fixed in the actual home. What else - oh yes, the windows. There are too many windows and they are slightly out of scale. We ought to cherish the white space - the plaster is just as important as the glass. Filling every inch of the home with windows and doors makes absolutely no sense - its excess. Does any particular room in a house need that much light? The role of an architect and a good interior designer is to properly orchestrate all the features of the rooms and flow of a house - the right kind of light, in the right spot, with the right architectural details to highlight and enhance and be enhanced. Whenever I see a monstrosity of glass I think to myself - very bad interior planning; they're just flooding the interior with light without any regard to room and space planning.
With a house of this size and mass (it has over 160' of frontage), there are ways to execute a restrained, elegant and sophisticated Spanish home. One good example of something similar are the spec homes at Terranea.
Notice how these homes feel much more authentic - despite having to accommodate a similar square footage. They have ample windows - absolutely - but they're done to scale and in a tasteful manner. Even the plaster on the exterior walls has a more weathered, natural appearance.
One aspect you'll notice - which detracts from the authenticity of the Munoz residence, are the frames around the windows and rooflines. What's with that?
That wreaks of McMansion in my view. If you look at all of the 1920s era Spanish homes I've featured on this site, I don't think you'll find this feature. Look at the Terranea homes as well - no frames!
Finally, let's look at the rear of the home. It's a bit better than the front - but not by much.
Overall, borderline McMansion - what do you think?
KEY STATS
Location: Montemalaga, PVE
Style: Spanish
Year built: 2010
Architect: David J. Boyd
Square footage: 7,254
Lot size: 21,443sf (irregular, 172'x218')
Style: Spanish
Year built: 2010
Architect: David J. Boyd
Square footage: 7,254
Lot size: 21,443sf (irregular, 172'x218')