Terracotta House: An Ode to Craft Traditions in Architecture

In its design of Terracotta House, Current Interests interpreted the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) as more than just a functional add-on but as an opportunity to rewrite the spatial, material, and perceptual hierarchies of a typical Los Angeles residential lot.

Investigating terracotta

The existing 1930s Spanish colonial revival home retains that style’s iconic elements, with deep arches and a clay-tile roof. The back garden, however, undermined the original character of the home, with a garage and driveway that divided the space, turning it into more of a parking area than a place for outdoor living. Current Interests’ intervention was simple and decisive: the firm flipped the layout, placing the ADU in the far corner of the lot. This freed up the heart of the open space, making it possible to add a swimming pool and generous patio, and to reclaim the garden for entertaining.

From the outset, the project was an investigation into the potential of terracotta – a material that is typical of the local architecture but seldom explored beyond its conventional uses. Drawing on its experience with both artisanal and industrial tile production, Current Interests turned the investigation into a collaborative process with Sandkuhl Clayworks, a long-established family-run company in Ohio. The collaboration led to a new tile type, produced by splitting a standard three-chamber hollow block immediately after extrusion when the clay is still wet. The resulting tile is ribbed on one side and smooth on the other, and retains visible traces of the production process. After firing, the tiles were shipped to Los Angeles and individually pigmented using an intense green.

A material mass set against the building rather than a smooth skin, the ADU’s façade acts as an expressive device. Instead of glued or grouted in place, the tiles are clipped to a lapped aluminum frame that holds them like a shelf. The result is a deliberately imperfect composition of the material in which light and shade create depth, rhythm, and a quiet visual presence that engages with the landscaping.

Terracotta House: A material workshop

This experimental approach continues with the interiors, which were conceived as a kind of material workshop. The polished floor, with a radiant-heating system, is tinted green with large stone aggregate. In contrast, the skirting has been left rough, its exposed aggregate revealing the construction process rather than hiding it. It sits alongside custom elements, including wall panels and window casings in walnut.

Treated with a pigmented Danish oil, the wood wall panels then introduce an unexpected color complexity. Reacting with the walnut’s warmth, the green takes on a silvery finish with violet undertones – a quality that sets the scene of the entire interior palette.

Outside, the garden continues the story. Created in collaboration with landscape designer Phil Davis, the garden was conceived as an outdoor living room, enclosed by a perimeter wall designed with the same care as the architecture. The patio – described by the architects as a “brick carpet” – marks off the space, while the pool, with its raised edge, creates a clear threshold between the building and a band of gravel planted with California native species.

>>> Discover Patitiri House, designed by ARP – Architecture Research Practice in Antiparos