La Ventosa by Patrick Bernatz Ward

Architect and designer Patrick Bernatz Ward’s family home, La Ventosa, rises amid a curtain of olive trees, pepper plants and century-old palms within the hills of Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles.

More than just a family residence, La Ventosa embodies a vision rooted in California’s outdoor lifestyle – where nature, light and architecture intertwine. When Patrick and Shannon Bernatz Ward acquired the property in 2013, the 1890 Victorian ‘pyramid’ house was on the brink of erasure, a forgotten relic of historic Lincoln Heights, dismissed by developers. However, Patrick and Shannon saw potential in the site and home. Framed by trees with panoramic views extending across the Los Angeles basin towards the iconic skyline and the Hollywood sign, they couldn’t resist the promise the property held.

More than just a family residence, La Ventosa embodies a vision rooted in California’s outdoor lifestyle – where nature, light and architecture intertwine.

It took more than eight years for the home to transform into La Ventosa, or ‘the windy place’, a name earned by its position atop a commanding promontory that gathers both the Sundowner and Santa Ana winds. Patrick approached the project carefully, stripping away its neglected layers while seamlessly weaving a contemporary extension into the original structure. The restoration integrated the home with its surroundings. A palette of local materials, such as lime-washed plaster, stained redwood louvres, terracotta tiles, sycamore panelling and Californian granite, all echo the surrounding landscape and harmonise the home’s historic charm with its restoration.

The motif of connection continues internally, where the life of the Bernatz Wards unfolds in spaces designed for togetherness. Their two children dart between the heart of the home – a kitchen with a custom walnut island – and a living area anchored by an expansive built-in sofa. New bays and porches extend the social zones as well as the residence’s reach into the landscape, offering spaces for both lively exchanges and quiet moments. These spatial and climatic interactions echo a bygone era. The weathered tones of the redwood louvres, for example, evoke early 20th-century sleeping porches while filtering light and channelling breezes. Transom windows also provide a connection between old and new.

La Ventosa is a living canvas, where imperfections are embraced as markers of life’s passage.

Externally, transformation was achieved by complementing the existing natural wonderland – a place where the Bernatz Ward children can roam barefoot and free. Terraces, gravel paths and native, edible plantings ensure the gardens remain an intimate, wild sanctuary for the family.

La Ventosa is a living canvas, where imperfections are embraced as markers of life’s passage. Here, Shannon and Patrick have created a home that prioritises presence over perfection, one filled with an aura of simplicity, thanks to its dynamic dialogue with the elements.

Architecture and interior design by Patrick Bernatz Ward. Build by Zorzoli Construction.