Mulholland Hills Home by Dougal Murray
Redesigned by Dougal Murray, this contemporary single family residence is located in Beverly Hills, California.
Description by Dougal Murray
When Dougal Murray of the Racing Green design group stumbled across a derelict 1930’s home hidden away in the Mulholland Hills three years ago he knew he knew he’d just found the perfect setting for his next home.
“As soon as I found the place I knew it was perfect for our next development” Dougal says, “Decent Los Angeles hillside properties are becoming harder and harder to come by, and finding somewhere where you aren’t overlooked is almost impossible. This house not only had a private driveway, but views over the Studio City valley to the north and forests of Oak trees from almost ever other perspective. I knew at once we had to find a way to get it.”
‘The Earth House’ as Dougal lovingly now refers to it, is nestled on the outer Mulholland Corridor in the Hollywood Hills and sits on a plot of almost a half acre.
“I’ve always been a massive fan of contemporary Californian architecture, and my goal was to create an open space that utilized the incredible views and natural light the land so generously gave us. Whilst we wanted to build something impressive, it was also important for myself and my design partner, Jonathan Waud, that the concept and the interior itself was understated and reflected its surroundings. Both Jonathan and I are originally from the New Forest in the UK, a national forest, home of the mighty oak, so the fact we could encapsulate the architecture in its urban forestry surroundings was definitely a little nod to that too.
Throughout the property Dougal used a variation of earth tones and neutral, textured fabrics to create an earthy, natural feel, which flows from the interior spaces to the exterior’s expansive wrap around decks and infinity pool.
“For the kitchen we wanted to design something functional, but also sleek, and easily maintained. The kitchen is visible as soon as you descend from the entry into the great room so simplicity was also key, as we didn’t want to distract from the views.”
As you ascend to the tiered second floor, two guest bedrooms, each with en-suite bathrooms and north and south facing views can be found to the right, and to the left a charismatic seating area leads to an impressive1200sf master bedroom with a double fronted, glass façade and master bathroom access.
“Los Angeles, for all its charm can be a hectic city, and the opportunity to create sanctuaries throughout the house for everyone of all ages to escape to is always a must for us. The Master bedroom is definitely one of those spaces and also has some of the best views of the house, with various seating elements and views over the pool.” Dougal says “I suppose if one must live in Los Angeles, this isn’t such a bad place to escape to at the end of the day.”
