For those who like mixing the old with the new, this Santa Monica home has your name on it.
Nestled along a hidden walk street in the Ocean Park neighborhood, the property combines a 1906 Craftsman bungalow with a 2004 modern guest house. The latter was designed by Lorcan O’Herlihy, an acclaimed urban-housing architect who died last month at the age of 66. The sellers, Emmy-nominated casting director Jason La Padura and performing-arts comms exec Gary Murphy, also enlisted O’Herlihy to expand the rear of the main residence.
A striking stained-glass window is found in the study.
Ryan Lahiff
That main house is a charming blue two-bedroom, with an elevated lounge sitting just outside the entryway. Inside, original exposed beams and a fireplace anchor the living room. One of the bedrooms has been converted into a formal dining room, which flows to a study with a striking stained-glass window.
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In back, the kitchen, family room, and primary bedroom all spill open to an ample deck. O’Herlihy updated these spaces, adding in contemporary touches. The kitchen is all dark-wood cabinetry that becomes open, built-in shelving lining a casual dining area. The light-filled bedroom is paired with a sleek bathroom. The deck is almost an expansion of this space, leading down to the central courtyard, where a giant California sycamore and a mature Valencia orange tree create a leafy oasis.
Out back, the modern guest house spans two levels.
Ryan Lahiff
A stone pathway takes you to the guest house, a modern two-story cube wrapped in black cement board. On the first level, there’s a spacious living area and a kitchen that mirrors the design of that in the main residence. Upstairs, a loft-style bedroom opens to a private balcony.
The Santa Monica abode is on the market for $3.4 million with Mike Deasy and Sara Clephane at Compass. La Padura and Murphy are parting ways with the property after living there for 35 years, five as renters before they bought the spread. And their relationship with O’Herlihy was a bit of happenstance: They met the architect in the late ’90s at a party hosted by Murphy’s brother-in-law, which took place at an early Frank Gehry house in Venice. O’Herlihy had just started his company, and the rest is history.
Click here to see all the images of the Santa Monica compound.
Ryan Lahiff
Authors
Tori Latham
