Modern Bungalow by RIOS

Modern Bungalow, located in Los Angeles, was renovated from a single-family home to feel safe yet joyous through a regeneration of its inner experience and connection to the landscape.

From the conception of the project, Mark Motonaga, home owner and creative director at RIOS, envisioned a residence that could fit the scale of the original property while presenting as a natural evolution of a contemporary bungalow. Refined and simplified in its layout and material palette, the home is a refuge for its owners. By reversing the typical bungalow layout and placing the living spaces at the rear and the private spaces to the front, RIOS creates an intriguing juxtaposition to the typical typology of Los Angeles homes.

By reversing the typical bungalow layout and placing the living spaces at the rear and the private spaces to the front, RIOS creates an intriguing juxtaposition to the typical typology of Los Angeles homes.

Beginning at two large, grey doors, the house opens onto a side courtyard where its character and warmth is immediately felt. Specifically designed to allow the owner and their visitors the opportunity to continue to the backyard or move into the main space of the house, the side courtyard acts as the home’s foyer space. Once inside, the main rooms of the house – the kitchen, dining and living areas – have been configured to frame the view of the garden. A wealth of natural light fills these living spaces and spills into the main corridor that leads down to the primary and guest bedrooms and bathrooms.

The interior design features a palette of emotive colours that aims to uplift and reflect the changes tones of nature, shifting throughout the day as the sun passes through the home. RIOS employs deep teal in the main living areas and a peony pink in the primary bedroom with yellow lighting to incorporate warmth. The guest bathroom has been given a selection of different tiles in various blues and Moroccan concrete tiles adorn the primary bathroom. Key to the backyard is a pool designed to emulate a pond – foliage comes right up to and over the edge.

The interior design features a palette of emotive colours that aims to uplift and reflect the changes tones of nature, shifting throughout the day as the sun passes through the home.

By challenging how the traditional bungalow home is seen, RIOS encourages people to think about how a residence’s spatial qualities can change experiences. Simple in its overall design, Modern Bungalow is the perfect home sanctuary for its owners’ busy Californian lifestyle.

Architecture and landscape design by RIOS. Interior design by Guy Clouse with RIOS. Build by Ecostone Construction. Structural engineering by Tuchscher Engineering Group. Landscape contracting by Harold Jones Landscape. Metalwork by Jim Kirkpatrick.