{"id":705446,"date":"2026-04-05T01:12:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T01:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/705446\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T01:12:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T01:12:24","slug":"byben-completes-los-angeles-house-with-sculptural-offset-adu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/705446\/","title":{"rendered":"Byben completes Los Angeles house with sculptural Offset ADU"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local studio Byben has created an accessory dwelling unit<\/a> in southern California<\/a> called Offset ADU, which features ipe-wood cladding and curved elements that “soften the feel and look” of the building.<\/p>\n

The project is located in the rear yard of a family home in Los Angeles’<\/a> Mar Vista neighbourhood. It was designed for a couple with two young kids who sought more living space, as well as a space for entertaining guests.<\/p>\n

\"Ipe-cladByben has created an ipe-wood-clad ADU in Los Angeles<\/p>\n

The accessory dwelling unit (ADU) replaces a one-car garage that had been doing double duty as a home office and a place for storing a car and bikes.<\/p>\n

The clients debated between replacing the garage with a standalone ADU or an extension to their house.<\/p>\n

\"Ipe-cladIt was built on the foundation of a former garage in the client’s backyard<\/p>\n

“I convinced them that the ADU was the best route because the size can be defined, which helps controlling the budget, whereas doing an addition on a house can get out of hand quickly,” Byben<\/a> founder Ben Warwas told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

To make way for the ADU, the garage was partly razed, with the foundation and two walls kept in place.<\/p>\n

\"KitchenSetbacks and openings orient the space to expanded backyard, adding a social dimension to the house<\/p>\n

Utilising these existing elements, Byben created a two-storey, 890-square-foot (83-square-metre) dwelling with design elements that cleverly respond to site constraints.<\/p>\n

In plan, the building is roughly rectangular, with large portions carved away to form setbacks and openings. The upper level cantilevers<\/a> over a recessed entryway at ground level.<\/p>\n

A large portion of the upper level was cut away due to power lines, and in its place, the architect created a terrace<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"YellowThe curves of the exterior are mirrored inside<\/p>\n

“The second level is offset to accommodate the present zoning envelope and the power lines in the rear of the property,” said the studio.<\/p>\n

“This offset provided a roof deck on the second level, more space for some existing trees and bike storage, and a covered front entrance to the ADU.”<\/p>\n

\"YellowA slender stairwell was painted yellow and features a skylight<\/p>\n

The two facades visible from the home are wrapped in an ipe-wood rainscreen, which was selected for performance and aesthetic reasons. The remaining two facades have stucco cladding with ipe accents.<\/p>\n

Certain edges of the wood siding are curved rather than straight \u2013 a technique to help “soften the feel and look of the ADU”, said Warwas. Curved elements are also found inside.<\/p>\n

\"OfficeAn oblong window in the office space is a stand-out feature<\/p>\n

Within the dwelling, a large room on the ground level holds a kitchen, dining space and lounge area, as well as a small bathroom and laundry room.<\/p>\n

The ground space opens onto a deck, providing an opportunity for indoor-outdoor living.<\/p>\n

\"PatioA rooftop deck was placed in a cutaway that accounted for power lines<\/p>\n

Upstairs, one finds an office that doubles as a bedroom.<\/p>\n

A notable feature in the upper area is a tall, U-shaped window that extends into a cove above the ceiling line. A mirror in the cove provides “an infinite-height feeling”.<\/p>\n

The two levels are connected by a slender, skylit stairwell<\/a> that is painted bright yellow and lined with white oak slats.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Cinder<\/p>\n

Benjamin Hall Design uses masonry walls for Arizona accessory dwelling unit\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Warwas said he wanted the experience of going up and down the stairs to feel like a “surreal transition”.<\/p>\n

“Stairs are such a unique opportunity to have a new feeling as you travel through space,” Warwas said.<\/p>\n

“That is also why the skylight is in there \u2013 the natural light with the yellow work together.”<\/p>\n

\"BathroomFinishes inside are warm and colourful<\/p>\n

The interior decor was overseen by Emily and Jason Potter, who are the founders of DEN<\/a>, a showroom in Los Angeles that specialises in vintage 20th-century furniture.<\/p>\n

The project also involved landscape interventions. A driveway leading to the old garage was mostly removed, and a gate was installed between the front and rear yards.<\/p>\n

\"BybenDecking connects the entrance to the main house<\/p>\n

“This really transforms the experience of a yard,” said the architect, noting that the clients use the backyard more frequently now.<\/p>\n

“There are still some changes to the house that are in the works, but for now, the ADU has brought completeness to their property that they did not have before.”<\/p>\n

Other ADU projects in the US include an Austin dwelling by Specht Novak<\/a> that is devoid of windows and a small building by Mork-Ulnes<\/a> that balances on a hillside in northern California.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Taiyo Watanabe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Project credits:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Architectural designer:<\/strong> Byben
Designer:<\/strong> Ben Warwas
Interior designers:<\/strong> DEN (Emily and Jason Potter)
Contractor:<\/strong> Manchen Construction<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Local studio Byben has created an accessory dwelling unit in southern California called Offset ADU, which features ipe-wood…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":705447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[32],"tags":[29870,107744,648,1032,276,1033,171,224,25017,92915,92916,67,132,68,2969],"class_list":["post-705446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-accessory-dwelling-units","tag-american-houses","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-california","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-los-angeles","tag-residential-architecture-and-interiors","tag-sectionall","tag-sectionarchitecture","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116349445947057776","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/705447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}