Transforming space constraints into opportunities for good design is a favorite theme of ours; in this instance, LA-based Kevin Oreck (a Remodelista Architect/Design Directory member) has created a flexible, light-filled 1,500-square-foot home on an extremely narrow site (39 feet wide) with a limited budget.

Oreck’s thoughtful placement of windows maximizes light and views of the garden without compromising privacy; a 40-foot-long band of windows runs through the center of the house, affording views of the sky and treetops beyond. “One of our favorite aspects of the house is that we utilize every square inch of it each day,” says the artist owner who lives here with his food-stylist wife and their young son. “There is absolutely no wasted space.”

Photography by Kevin Oreck.

Above: Oreck used a combination of honest, simple materials–concrete, glass, metal, and plywood–in his shedlike design. 

Above: A light-filled living room with bare essentials furniture and artwork by Stas Orlovski.

Above: A 40-foot-long band of high windows runs through the center of the house, affording views of the sky and treetops.

Above: The cabinetry throughout the house is constructed from 13-ply birch plywood and was custom designed by Oreck; the countertops in the kitchen and the baths are Carrara marble from Daltile.

Above: The owners’ collection of midcentury furniture includes a Danish dining table and Baumritter chairs.

Above: The exposed ceiling frame features translucent panels that backlight the study space below (outfitted with a Paul McCobb table and an Eames rocker).

Above: Dual sinks in Carrara marble and the same plywood carried into the bath from the kitchen design.

Above: A light-flooded corner features a Brown Saltman dressing table paired with an Eames Rocker.

Above: Clerestory windows maximize light without compromising privacy; the George Nelson Ball Lamp is from Modernica in Los Angeles.

Above: The landscape design is by David Fletcher of Fletcher Studio Landscape Architecture + Urban Design. Artwork by Stas Orlovski.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on June 20, 2011, as part of our Summer in Los Angeles issue.