In this multigenerational home in Venice, California, the Laybourne and Bekele family Sunday nights are reserved for grandma dinners. This is where the three generations get together and eat what the clan´s matriarchs do.
The menu is always changing. In one week, it could be steak. The other week can be Ethiopian food, honoring the ancestors. This get-together represents one of many blessings that this clan does.
The story of this multigenerational home started two decades ago. When Herran Bekele and her husband were looking for a home in Venice. They wanted a house with a lot of room to welcome Sam´s mother and father.
The couple found what they wanted in, as Sam says, “Brooklyn by the ocean.” Thanks to the walkability and edgy style, the compound was precisely what they wanted. The home is a combo of a modest home with a street fronting garage with a small studio.
The designer Kevin Daly and project leader Gretchen Stoecker worked together to renovate the multigenerational home. After separating the buildings, the architects wrapped the structures in perforated metal.
This structure is arranged strategically to discrete vistas of threes and the sky. The screens filter the Los Angeles sunlight while giving a little bit of privacy. At the same time, avoiding a view from each residence.
Multigenerational Home in Venice, California
Moving forward to 2015, after a year of living in New York, the couple moved back to Venice, now with their kids. Unfortunately, Herran´s dad passed away one year later, so the time came to evaluate the house to accommodate two kids. Fortunately, a sketch crash pad became available at home next door, and the couple purchased it.
For this next phase, kDa returned to the projects and expanded the compound, maintaining the same style. After some minor changes, Aster moved to the studio, and elders moved across the courtyard. On the other side of the surfer shack, the designer made a new home for the couple and the kids. These new structures have undulating screen elements and warm wood cladding with big windows.
The centerpiece of the compound is the new pool. Sam’s parents decorated their side of the home as they like giving a unique touch. The Laybourne and Bekele family promised to keep the multigenerational home culture alive. In addition to the grandma dinners, Aster, on Sunday mornings, spends time with her grandkids at her studio. This arrangement allows all the family to build a strong bond between them.
Source: Architectural Digest
