Forming Deep Connections – Palms Residence by Olson Kundig
With a seamless flow from inside to out, Palms Residence by Olson Kundig is a home that is in tune with the natural surrounds. Located in Venice, Los Angeles, the home is finished with materials that complement the gardens and a custom-made sonic kinetic sculpture that establishes the home’s character through sound.
From the moment the gates opened, client and interior designer Gillian Wynn knew that Palms Residence was the home she had been searching for. Already knowing she desired something that was unlike the past work of Olson Kundig, Gillian met with Tom Kundig, Principal and Founder at Olson Kundig, working together to unveil the story that the home was meant to tell. With a focus on how the inside interacts with the outside, Olson Kundig has manipulated the home to unfold around the garden, so that the natural space becomes the heart of the home.
With a yoga studio, split-level living room, dining areas and bedrooms, the home’s design blurs the lines between the interior and exterior spaces, enabling it take advantage of Venice’s paradise-like climate.
With a yoga studio, split-level living room, dining areas and bedrooms, the home’s design blurs the lines between the interior and exterior spaces, enabling it take advantage of Venice’s paradise-like climate. Treating the structure’s open architecture like “layers of clothing,” Tom ideates that there are multiple ways in which to open and close buildings, as well as manipulate how one can enter and exit the home. However, Palms Residence’s form has been manipulated to encourage a seamless connection to its surrounding nature through various entries, exits and open spaces that allow the owner to sit whilst being embraced by nature.
Thanks to its beachside location, the home is filled with a magical quality of natural light from the moment the sun rises until it sets, then allowing the moonlight to take over. In addition, the home’s aspect of indoor-outdoor living is further highlighted with wide glass doors and a glass-walled stairwell that invites the light in and warms the interior space. Moreover, the property includes a private yoga studio with a Gamelatron installation – a kinetic sculpture designed by the owner’s close friend, Aaron Taylor Kuffner. Composed on site, the sculpture emits a sound bath via Indonesian gongs, which helps set the tone and flow of the home’s character.
Employing a modest and simple palette, Olson Kundig intentionally engages a system of proportions and materials that become the background for the home’s main agenda, the garden. Including thin glass windows with black metal bracing that picks up the horizon lines of the garden, the home is also imbued with white stucco walls intended to reflect the sunlight as it changes. Additionally, the roof and small accents over the home’s exterior are finished in a darker colour to the home, so that the vibrancy of the garden can shine through.
Intended to disappear into its garden surrounds, Palms Residence offers a natural flow between inside and out through both visual and actual design methods. The gentle placement of the home within the garden creates an enchanting home tailored to both the site and Gillian’s lifestyle.
