A closer look at the secluded Wall House, designed by Johnson Fain

Secluded in an arborous 12-acre site, the Wall House is a modern country family house in Ojai, California. Los Angeles-based practice Johnson Fain designed the private 5,000 square-foot abode, whose polished interior includes a spacious common area, an outdoor kitchen, and native plants throughout. Last month, the Wall House won a Merit Award in the 2017 AIA Los Angeles Residential Architecture Awards.

Scroll down for more about the project from the architects.

The Wall House is situated on a 12-acre, low-lying meadow surrounded by creeks streaming from the Los Padres National Forest into the nearby Ventura River. “Positioned alongside one of the creeks, the long axis of the house follows a cardinal north / south orientation,” Johnson Fain describes on their website. 

“Approached from the west, a stark 300 foot long Corten steel wall with narrow and deeply framed window bands admits natural light into interior rooms. Inside, a long floor-to-ceiling glass wall dramatically opens the house to a pool deck, stone planters with native flowers and an adjacent oak grove [...] The house is framed by a peach orchard to the north and an apricot orchard to the south, extending the long lines of the house out into the natural landscape beyond.”

“The expansive, column-free living area features a ceiling hung between two massive board-formed concrete walls. The Douglas Fir ceiling is open and naturally ventilated through an automated clerestory system and produces changing patterns of light on the interior. On one side of the living area, a depression in the polished-concrete floor defines the seating area around a silver travertine hearth. On the opposite side of the room, a grand piano sits on a small stage created by a rise in the floor.”

In regards to sustainability, Johnson Fain designed the house's exterior wall as a rain-screen system that provides thermal insulation, while the roof includes a large photovoltaic solar array and a rain-collection system for gray water irrigation. Select floors contain radiant heating and cooling.

Paved in natural flagstone, the backyard features a 25-meter swimming pool, an outdoor fireplace and kitchen, and native plant species. Next to the kitchen is a flower, herb, and produce garden.

Photos courtesy of Johnson Fain.