Bjella Architects
The infinity pool glowing at night above the valley lights

Featured Project — Calabasas, California

Modern Zen Mountain House.

Heavy timber, stone, steel and glass — a modern yet romantic mountain home, with a touch of zen.

The Exterior

Grown from
the hilltop

A reinterpreted classicism balanced by the rugged integrity of exposed concrete, steel, and heavy timber — winged rooflines floating above walls of glass, with human-scale details refined into what the studio calls structural jewelry.

The house rising above the planted hillside on its stone base
The winged canopy hovering over walls of glass
The front elevation in timber, stone and glass
The entry court at dusk, timber and stone warmly lit
The long, low profile of the home across the hilltop
The glass dinette glowing above the city lights at night
The sweeping winged roofline against a deep blue sky

The Interior

Rooms that open
to the sky

Axes direct the flow of spaces, colonnades abound, and symmetry calms the mind — judiciously broken to create interest. Around every corner there is something more to see, another detail to breathe in.

The curved glass living room facing the hills
The family room hearth in stone and timber
The formal dining room in ebony and glass
The floating stair in wood and steel
The library wall in stone and wood
The dining room beneath the timber ceiling

The Glass Dining Room

Floating over
the valley

The glass dinette cantilevers past the edge of the hill, and capturing the sunsets was non-negotiable: watching the sun drop behind the receding hills is now a family ritual — dinner guests are required to arrive at very specific times to avoid missing the show.

The glass dinette floating over the valley
The cantilevered glass dining room from outside
The dinette from the garden below, floating on glass

The Kitchen

Romantic modern,
in steel and timber

Not so much a room as the nexus of the home, organized around a walk-in pantry “storage island” clad in reclaimed lumber, its barn door hung on copper wheels. The Douglas fir and steel cabinetry is built to last generations — and the custom range hood is, apparently, capable of sucking up a small child, though this has not been tested.

The kitchen beneath its beamed ceiling, timber columns framing the view
The island and cabinetry open to the valley beyond
The island under its pendants, windows to the terrace
The cooking wall beneath the steel hood
The marble island top on heavy timber posts
Cabinetry framing the view across the infinity pool

The Theater

A home theater
in the spirit of zen

Minimal, but never austere: refined details of wood and steel, a palette of earthy hues, plush reclining seats, and a custom Douglas fir colonnade that surrounds and embraces the room. Soundproofing keeps the drama on the screen.

The zen home theater with its Douglas fir colonnade
Plush reclining seats facing the screen
Timber and steel detail in the theater walls
The colonnade wrapping the room
The rear of the theater, warm and quiet
The theater entry

The Rooftop & Terraces

The edge of the property
is the horizon

Water meets sky at the infinity edge, a fire terrace crowns the roof, and the hills put on the nightly show — serene by day, cinematic after dark.

The infinity pool at sunset, diving board reaching toward the hills
Aerial view of the rooftop fire terrace and infinity pool
The rooftop terrace overlooking the valley
The pool terrace beneath the timber pergola
The rooftop trellis casting shade over the valley view
The pool at night with the valley lights beyond

This home has been featured by Contemporist, Architizer, Archello, One Kind Design and e-architect.

The house glowing against the dark hills at night

Your hilltop is out there.

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(952) 548-9800