Phelps Residence

Located steps from the waterways of Huntington Harbor, California, the Phelps Residence is a remodel of a regional mid-century house, developed in the 1960s along with the rest of the Harbor neighborhood.

The goal of the renovation was to honor the mid-century bones of the existing structure featuring full-height windows and open beam ceilings, while infusing new life and detail via a ground-up renovation.

The volume of the house is a two-story stucco façade structure with vertical cedar and black metal accents. The wall-to-wall, full height sliding doors create an indoor-outdoor experience by extending the front yard fire pit and seating area through the living room to the backyard swimming pool and cabana beyond. The climate of the Harbor provides an ideal environment to open the space up to the yards year-round, thereby expanding the footprint of the house and allowing for an uninterrupted flow between rooms and indoor and outdoor areas.

The entry foyer features a steel and terrazzo sculptural stair in a recessed bed of river rock. The lower level’s large-scale terrazzo tiles seamlessly join the living room, dining room and kitchen. A custom banquette for the dining area nestles into a corner adjacent to a full-height three-piece window that floods the kitchen and dining room with southern sunlight all day. The custom kitchen’s airy feel owes to the use materials comprised of light woods and stone as well as a large window to the rear yard at the sink. The upper level is reserved for the private bedrooms and a more intimate family room. Hardwood floors flow throughout while large-scale windows seek to capture the unique views offered from each room.

Stack bond CMU garden walls in the front yard define the entry sequence, honoring the mid-century history of the residence.