Tiny US home is inspired by West African textiles and a fresh take on modernism

Marina standing at the opening from the second-storey bedroom.

As an urban planner, Marina Martos Dabel was dreaming about adding an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, long before she and her husband, Dr Pascal Dabel, purchased their Silver Lake home in Los Angeles, the United States in 2016.

“I always wanted to get my hands on a backyard rec room or ADU project,” Marina says.

When it came to the stylish addition the family ultimately made to their two-car garage, their vision was clear: It was an excellent opportunity to add value to their home and make the space feel special.

“Our house had been flipped and felt sterile,” she said. “Our ADU was a fun way for us to ­create something personal.”

The couple embarked on the project in 2020, collaborating with architect Susan Nwankpa Gillespie of Nwankpa Design. Previously, Marina and Gillespie worked together on architectural projects in the Hollywood Hills.

Coloured concrete tiles fill out the roof deck of the ADU.

Despite facing numerous ­setbacks, including an elusive contractor and less-than-ideal timing, the Dabels saw the ­project through.

“We were a Covid-19 casualty when it came to plan check and permitting,” Marina says.

“It was a long process,” adds Dr Pascal, a nephrologist, of the more than two-year construction process. “But the result was worth the wait.”

The couple financed the US$400,000 (RM1.78mil) project, which had been budgeted at US$300,000 (RM1.33mil) before the pandemic, by taking ­advantage of low interest rates and tapping into their equity and savings.

“We thought it was a smart investment,” Marina says.

Lorenzo and his brother Lucien (right) playing in the living room.

Gillespie acknowledges that while ADUs started as an ­accessible way to create more affordable housing, the skyrocketing cost of construction, including the price of lumber, has made them increasingly out of people’s reach.

“Much of it depends on the contractor,” Gillespie says. “If someone is good, they’ll work on larger projects (that go for higher bids). No one is hurting for work right now. The best way to move forward with a contractor is to get recommendations and talk to people. If you build an ADU, you must decide if the cost is worth it.”

Having previously worked together a few years ago on updating the interiors of the Dabels’ cookie-cutter house, Gillespie and Marina were in sync from the start.

“We set variables for the small space,” Gillespie says. “They wanted to do two stories. The downstairs needed to be flexible. They wanted a deck, a garage, a private space and a common space.”

The ADU is designed by Nwankpa Design led by Gillespie, who is standing at the staircase.

Storage was also a requirement for the ADU.

“We needed a place to hide the toys,” Marina laughs, referring to the surplus of Legos belonging to her sons, Lucien, three, and Lorenzo, seven.

Gillespie drew up three or four plans for the ADU, and the ultimate creation is a winner: an 1,182sq ft (110sq m) modern one-bedroom home with a full kitchen, two bathrooms and a 281sq ft (26sq m) roof deck built on top of the existing two-car garage.

Because the lawn and paved areas on the 6,000sq ft (557sq m) lot are already taken up by the family’s activities, the second-storey deck became an essential part of the ADU’s design. (The Dabels had hoped to add a steel trellis to screen out harsh sunlight, but after receiving a bid of US$50,000 (RM222,598), they decided to go with an umbrella instead.)

“If we ever rent it out, any ­tenant is going to want their own private outdoor space,” says Marina.

The homeowners could also add a fence between the two homes, which are 35ft (10.6m) apart, for further privacy.

Dr Pascal stands in the kitchen area of the family's ADU.

Gillespie agrees, saying: “I like having punches of nature and privacy, especially in an urban context. Even though there is still a yard, outdoor space is important for whoever lives in the ADU. The roof deck became another oasis and entertaining space.”

The lower level of the ADU includes an open living area with polished concrete floors, a full kitchen installed along one wall and a powder room.

Although it is being used as a flexible space, there is ample room to add a dining room table in the future.

A nine-foot-long (2.7m) window seat, installed above storage drawers, serves as a twin-size daybed, allowing the couple, or tenants, to use the room for guests if necessary. Thanks to multiple drop-down blinds on remote controls, people can sleep downstairs and upstairs.

Keeping the ground floor free and clear also offers options for future ageing-in-place needs.

“Ageing in place is tough with stairs,” Gillespie says. “But they could turn the downstairs into a bedroom space.”

A sitting area in the upstairs bedroom.

The sunny second floor serves as the primary bedroom, complemented by white oak floors, a bathroom and a large closet that houses a washer and dryer.

The expansive bedroom, which could also easily accommodate a desk or a Peloton bike, is illuminated by skylights and opens to the outdoor deck, which is paved with a patchwork of blue Zia cement tiles.

Both floors feature bold colour choices, including tangerine- coloured cabinets in the kitchen, a perforated metal panel stairway painted a soft green, a kitchen backsplash in a soft mocha Zia tile and green tile in the shower.

“We want things to be fresh, fun and playful, but still sophisticated,” Gillespie says. “But it doesn’t have to be just primary colours. We used lots of textures.”

The Dabels, whose bedroom in the main house is upstairs and looks across the yard into the ADU, requested privacy for both homes.

“I didn’t want to look into the bedroom behind us,” Marina says. “That is why the windows go north-south and not east-west.”

Inspired by the diverse population of Los Angeles, Gillespie, who is Nigerian American, wrapped the exterior of the second floor – a windowless blank stucco facade – in vertical 2.5ft x 6ft (0.7m x 1.8m) timber slats installed in a wood pattern reminiscent of hand-woven West African kente cloth. In contrast with the downstairs, the second floor appears to float above the ground floor.

“I am interested in living in a Western context architecturally, but with such a diverse population in Los Angeles, I thought about creating an interesting mix of modernist principles and West African textiles,” Gillespie says. “Part of it was softening the severity of a typical solid facade by creating more of a craft feel.”

A shower window, framed by mid-century grided tile, looks out on the environs surround the Dabel family's ADU.

The Dabels are happy with the results: ample room to park multiple cars in the newly paved driveway, a concrete pad with enough space for a basketball court and a small patch of lawn where their sons can play with the family’s dogs, Gringo and Sedona.

For now, the ADU feels like an extension of the main home. Marina and Pascal laugh when they recall their November Friendsgiving, which spilled out of their home and into the ADU.

“It was packed,” Pascal says. “We had more than 60 people here, including about 30 kids. There were people on the stairs and the balcony. We even squeezed in a bounce house.”

Adds Marina: “The ADU is where people love to congregate.”

Although the couple has enjoyed hosting friends and family, including relatives from Argentina and Pascal’s mother from Georgia – she refers to the ADU as her “resort” – they have always intended to rent the backyard home.

However, that was before fires ravaged Pacific Palisades and Altadena in February.

At the moment, they are housing a friend’s multi-generational family of five, including their friend’s grandmother, who all fled the Eaton fire.

“We won’t be renting the place out for now,” Marina says, “but we will make it available to friends and family as needed. They’ll be using our ADU as a second base. They very much want to be back home, but have no idea when water service will resume or be safe to use. So we offered to let them come whenever they needed for showering, laundry and sleep.

“They’re finding it more ­challenging to be home than they had hoped. They’re very dear friends; it’s the least we could do to help.” – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service