A family room pavilion for this 1920 house

Sunset, March, 1988

A family room pavilion for this 1920 house It's the same only different: that's how a new family room addition relates to the rest of this 1920 house. Owners Ariella and David Lehrer wanted an informal room that would fit in with the style of the house, but be brighter and more open.

Los Angeles architect Michael Lehrer designed the addition as a 16- by 17-foot, hip-roofed pavilion attached to the house on two sides. Outside, the siding and window trim match the rest of the house. Inside, the two interior walls--facing entry and kitchen, respectively--serve as open frames, defining partial views toward what's beyond. Square cutouts in interior walls balance exterior window shapes; the openings give the room its own identify, yet link it to the rest of the house.

To further unite the new space with the old, the architect ran Mexican pavers from the kitchen into the pavilion. For dramatic and airy contrast, he raised the pavilion's ceiling to 14 feet at its peak.