The American studio Woods + Dangaran continues the modernist soul that is so characteristic of California’s cultural identity through seven of their residential projects that sublimate their first monograph.
Brett Woods and Joseph Dangaran have established a solid reputation on the Los Angeles architectural scene over the past decade. After studying together at the USC School of Architecture, they decided to join forces by founding their own studio in 2013. Woods was drawn to architecture at the age of seven, watching family friends build their models into life-size buildings. Dangaran was inspired by Native American sites and how the vernacular is integrated into the landscape. Since then, this pair has made modernism a strong commitment. For Michael Webb, author of two dozen books on modernist architecture and design, writing in the introduction to the monograph, their homes become “places of togetherness for family and friends, oases of calm overlooking a sunny garden, or spiritual retreats to lie in bed and gaze at the stars.” That’s what these seven residential projects exude in their elegantly simple first monograph, published by Rizzoli. A beautiful celebration of this post-war avant-garde movement through their rectilinear forms, open spaces, sustainable materials and landscaping.
Love of light
Everything in this collection works together to sublimate a revolutionary art of living adapted to the 21st century. Modernist and contemporary furniture and vegetation soften the rigorous geometry of architecture, blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior. Stone floors, precious wood cabinets, plaster and marble walls, bay windows… their light designs are meticulously thought out, taking advantage of the eclectic setting of Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Los Feliz, and Culver City. And at the heart of it all, the same consistency: “peace and solitude, links with nature and careful details.”
The City of Angels is known for this lifestyle, shaping the legacy of the great names in design and architecture. Like their splendid renovation of the Moore House, designed by Craig Ellwood in 1965, which transcends the excellence of California modernism. As Michael Webb again points out, the homes are “graceful but not pretentious, connected to the essence of the land, yet evoking the panache of Hollywood.” Today, the duo wants to add to their pedigree, looking further afield and considering designing cultural buildings and boutique hotels.
Nathalie Dassa