Like a Sundial Shaped by the Light of Los Angeles

Perched high above Los Angeles, a 1926 Spanish-style residence has been reborn as a sun-drenched sanctuary where Mediterranean warmth meets the sculptural precision of Mexican modernism. Designed by Jordana Maisie Design Studio (JMDS), the home blends architectural heritage with contemporary minimalism, creating a cinematic retreat that celebrates light, landscape, and craftsmanship.

Design as an Emotional and Visual Experience

Australian-born, Los Angeles–based architect Jordana Maisie led the renovation through her interdisciplinary practice Jordana Maisie Design Studio (JMDS). With a creative background spanning orchestral music, photography, and film, she approaches design as both an emotional and visual experience.

Before founding her studio in Los Angeles, she worked in New York, where she refined a sensibility to treat light as a medium for storytelling and space as a catalyst for reflection and connection. 

The homeowners, a couple with careers in the fashion industry, had previously collaborated with Maisie on several retail projects in New York and San Francisco. This enduring partnership fostered an atmosphere of creative trust throughout the renovation. Together, they sought to preserve the house’s century-old authenticity while integrating a minimal, modern language. The result is a home that feels contemporary yet true to its original Spanish character.

Where The Spirit of Barragán Meets Slim Aarons Glamour

Nestled at the end of a gated driveway amid mature olive trees and canyon views, the house balances privacy and openness. Inspired by the spatial compositions of Luis Barragán, Maisie shaped a sequence of interiors and terraces that unfold gradually, framing the surrounding landscape at every turn.

White stucco walls, arched openings, and custom pigmented concrete compose a restrained palette that channels both Barragán’s geometric purity and the sunlit ease of Slim Aarons’s imagery. The result is an architecture of rhythm and reflection, where each step reveals a new perspective on the hills beyond.

A Space for  Architecture and Nature to Intertwine

The outdoor spaces form the true heart of the home — a terraced composition of pool, spa, and gardens that follow the natural slope of the site. Traditional Spanish elements are reinterpreted with contemporary precision, creating a continuous flow between shaded courtyards and open decks.

Inside, warm-toned millwork and the terracotta tiles contrast the crisp stucco surfaces, reinforcing a tactile connection between interior and exterior. Every level encourages a slower pace, inviting pause and contemplation within an environment shaped by light, material, and the quiet beauty of the canyon.

A Living Sundial of Light and Shadow

As the day unfolds, the stepped stucco walls act as luminous screens that capture and transform natural light. At sunset, the canyon-facing façades glow in amber and rose tones, their geometry animated by shadows that shift across the terraces. A daily choreography of colour and contrast that infuses the home with calm and continuity, turning it into a living sundial shaped by the Los Angeles light.

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