Tiny lot, grand comfort: Skinny home + 2 yards as designer's live-work oasis
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Landscape designer Molly Sedlacek was looking for an inspiring place to live and work in LA when she stumbled upon a narrow cork-clad home built on the former parking lot of the house next door. She fell for it. Despite the small infill lot, the natural home feels big and soothing inside and has two yards.
The house came to life when designer Michael Tessler bought a sliver of land - technically the neighbor’s front yard - next to a huge cork oak tree in LA’s Highland Park neighborhood. He and architect Daveed Kapoor was inspired to create a house like a tree: a tall, skinny home clad in cork bark.
The home is only 12 feet wide, but thanks to a tri-fold glass door, the interior blends with the outside. So when landscape designer Molly Sedlacek found it for sale, she saw it as an ideal canvas for growing gardens. The home is just 860 ft.², but it has an underground office, which is perfect for Molly’s live-work needs.
Nature also seems to flow inside with materials that are all sourced from the LA environment. Terrazzo countertops in the kitchen, bathrooms, and garage are made with sediment from the Los Angeles River. Beams, flooring and outdoor furniture use wood from Angel City Lumber, a company that saves fallen trees in the neighborhood. All the walls are paint-free, natural clay and lime plasters and even wet areas use tadelakt, the ancient Moroccan waterproofing technique.
The homes sit at a corner with a busy street so Sedlacek landscaped that side with boulders as a sound barrier, which are popular seating for the local bus stop. Her home is sparsely decorated with natural colors and only one piece of art since she sees the natural finishes as its own type of art.
Her most prized objects are her collection of trees that are now growing on the side patio, many of which she has brought along with her from house to house over the years. “These are my objects,” she says of the trees, though she admits her narrow home keeps her inside stuff at a minimum. “I think we fit into where we’re put. And I fit into this tiny box.”
ORCA Design (Molly Sedlacek): www.orcaliving...
Responsive Homes (Michael Tessler): responsivehome...
Daveed Kapoor: utopiad.org/
Angel City Lumber: www.angelcityl...
Future Systems (Corey Ruppert): www.thefutures...
On *faircompanies: faircompanies....
Hello - I’m Michael, the developer of this house. First off, thank you all for the kind words ! And for the not so kind words, well - you know what Momma always said.
Thank you Kirsten for this walkthrough -- I’ve been a big fan for years; and to Molly, who found the house, believed in the value of its optimism, and has made it her own.
This project was conceived of and designed in collaboration with architect Daveed Kapoor and ushered into the physical world by builder Cor Ruppert of Future Systems and by many, many other skilled individuals.
I started Responsive Homes in an endeavor to create durable, low-energy, urban infill buildings that emphasize local and natural materials; to think about what a vernacular architecture for urban Los Angeles could be, absent a long modern history of trial and error, and amidst an economy of globalized/industrialized building materials. The initial intent was to make houses that an LA school teacher could afford, though I quickly came to realize that would be the most difficult piece of this puzzle.
What I found, which may strike some as self-evident, is that building single family homes like this in Los Angeles (and most cities in the USA) is quite simply, not a viable business plan. I could probably write a small book on this topic, so I’ll keep it brief.
TL;DR housing in the USA is a scarce commodity and housing developers won’t spend more than the minimum of what is required for their profit. And our culture is too obsessed with detached single-family homes.
There’s an unfortunate reality, that many of us in the USA associate natural materials, passive design (‘ecological architecture’ if you will) with either the ultra wealthy or rural owner-builders. People who follow this channel know !
The concept of “buy it once, buy it for life” has not found its way into the mainstream of the USA. The median duration that someone owns their home is around 12 years (per the American Community Survey). Homebuyers and buyer’s agents don’t know how to value what cannot be immediately seen or touched - ie. the quality of framing and its sourcing; elastomeric waterproofing vs Tyvek; EMT vs Romex; cast iron vs PVC; plywood vs OSB; etc etc.
A house’s utility bill is rarely, if ever, disclosed. Whether a home uses $200 a month, or $20 - it’s not factored into the prospective value of a home or the borrower’s debt-to-income equation in qualifying for a mortgage. There is also an upper limit to what a house will appraise for, and therefore what a bank will lend on, based on neighborhood comparable sales.
There has been a proliferation of house flippers driving up the value of fixers, decreasing the supply for first-time homebuyers to build sweat equity. Simultaneously, private equity/corporate owners are buying single family homes and turning them into rentals, decreasing the overall supply. Housing is built primarily by for-profit housing developers who take large financial risk to build speculatively. They typically live outside of the neighborhoods, and even cities, where they develop housing.
A spreadsheet determines many design and development decisions: future market value minus the minimum cost of development required to achieve maximum sales prices/rents in the target market, minus the profit required (based on the risk of taking on such a venture) - the result being ‘residual land value’. Since future market value has an upper limit, and developers are businesses that require certain profits - the only way to compete is to find a way to increase revenue or bring down costs.
Because at the end of the day, if you spend a dollar more than a competitor in the course of development, unless that dollar correlates to an increased profit, it’s one less dollar you can spend on your next project, or one less dollar in your pocket. Either way - it’s a losing proposition.
So just as much as housing costs are soaring, art and craft and inspiration have all but disappeared from the built environment. The result is new buildings that won’t last more than a few decades - kicking our housing crisis down the road, and wasting a bunch of natural resources in the process.
So the saying goes: “there’s never enough money to do it right, but always enough money to do it again”.
All of this is to say - the process of developing this house was a wildly fruitful learning experience (if not a profitable one), with zero regrets. I certainly won’t be building another single family home in Los Angeles anytime soon, but I do find quite a lot of inspiration in the potential for multi-family housing and Community Land Trusts.
I would give anything to live in this most beautiful home !
I lost 3 homes to Mold.. I love the fact there is no paint on the walls. It so healthy looking lol
Beautiful work ❤
I love the look of this place, and the size. I’m hoping to find some innovative multi-family housing at some point.
I love this house. The yard is cozy and the deck is such a great extension of the living room/kitchen. I appreciate the different colors of the wood and the texture of the walls. Great use of finite space. I bet it doesn't feel small because she took advantage of the space incredibly.
This is really an amazing work of art here and I am so in love with it. It really is sad much of what you describe in the current state of things. I hope one day when I’m ready I can find someone to work with that can help me create such a beautiful home like this! NOT IN LA! 😉
I think you designed an AMAZING living space. It would be a place my wife, my son, dog, and I would LOVE to live in! Also, there is a LOT of truth in many of the comments you have made in this post. There is not one thing I would change on this house (including location! I'd be a short drive from my sister in Los Feliz!)
However, as a long-time, professional graphic designer and long-time fan of Kirsten, I have to address one comment: "And for the not so kind words, well - you know what Momma always said."
You are a VERY talented designer, but not a one of us can please everyone. If someone is passionate enough to give feedback, that is a compliment in and of itself. Designers should never be offended by opinion, as all art is meant to offend. We MUST push the boundaries. It should evoke an emotional response, good or 'bad'. Even in the most vitriolic of comments, there is a morsel of truth and constructive feedback we can gather from it. I feel Kirsten understands that, and that's why her videos span across every demographic imaginable. She just wants to report on all things interesting.
That being said, I wish you well in all future endeavors! 🙏💖🏠
What I find remarkable is how much greener and biodiverse the space is now, after beig built on, compared to the barren knoll it was before.
this is a great house, one of the best small houses ive seen. she has a great design philosophy.
'small'
The key to what makes this scene work is that this young woman is very GRATEFUL for she already has instead of wanting MORE & More. She doesn't a bigger, fancier place because she is just very GRATEFUL what she already has. And that is valuable lesson for all of us in these increasingly difficult times.
This home is so peaceful, love the limestone walls, baskets, pottery, natural fibers…aesthetically pleasing to all senses!
That bed looks super comfortable and the little nook is snug as well.
Despite its central location she has created an amazingly serene & grounded home to live in. Her styling illicits a feeling of rest, harmony and rejuvenation. 👏👏
Delightful contemporary home which is ageing perfectly. Very Japanese. Love it.
Not too big, but not quite tiny. Healthy, effective indoor/outdoor integration. Anazing gardens. Amazing home.
And yeah, they comercialize nature like she said. And they market zen, but she's living it. It's in the bones of her home and her philosophy.
Bear is one ADORABLE dog, he's lucky he found himself a cool person. Wonderful results here from ... great landscape & home design.
The home is wonderful and thoughtfully designed. Molly's gardens are just beautiful.
So many Australian native plants used - didn't realise they were a thing outside Australia.
I so dig that house. Living that way makes you really think about all the things you really CAN live without 🌻
I can imagine more of these green style homes in LA instead of the concrete boxes and cookie cutter homes. It works with the environment. It doesn’t look small tbh. I just loved that she added the boulders near the bus stop for the community to sit and wait under the tree. The front garden is fantastic especially under that huge tree
I agree with her about the boulders and it being a great sitting space
My favourite home ! The philosophy of natural materials left as they are, instead of layers of synthetics, covering things up, it is exactly what I believe. Molly is so chill 😊she had me with ' I can't sleep at night if a gardern isn't growing'.
This is a fantastic way to utilize very little space. I've always loved the idea of going vertical rather than horizontal. My dream one day is to find a disused grain silo and turn that into a wizard's tower style home and replace the steel top with plexiglass, and have a roof greenhouse with a view. Central fireplace on the ground floor with the stove pipe going up and out the top for that lovely winter wood heat. Someday.
I have always loved the warmth and embracing feeling of a small space, and that is why i love this space. It is so warm, with all the natural wood. It is just beautiful.
NICE place! I wanted to see more of the office space too. Brava!
What a great use of a small spaces.
The interior aesthetics are simple, utilitarian, and beautiful.
My Grandparents lived just down the street and around the corner on Burwood. (A steep street) A lovely neighborhood and a very creative house. Lots of respect for her free spirit of design for that really small lot.
This entire project was brilliant and beautiful if you ask me. It's everything we should be thinking about in homes today. It's designed in a way that brings the outside, inside and makes the entire space seem bigger. I absolutely love it. It's a home designed and built with the earth/nature in mind and that gives it a feel you can't replicate!
Gorgeous. Makes me rethink what is cozy yet functional. Feels like this design unabashedly embraces the space limitations as well as the realities of being on a busy street. Easily of my favorite episodes on this channel.
That is a great house! An inventive use of materials and space to create shelter.
Stunning. One of my favourites on this channel.
Such a wonderful space, a space that comforts you a place where you feel intact not being pulled into enormous spaces with a vast collection of nothing that you need but think you have to have. That natural serene space that just snuggles you in comfort and let's you just dissolve into peace and quiet even though your steps from a busy street corner. Thanks for Sharing
Beautiful beyond words.
I just LOVE cork siding... Gorgeous home.
She is my soulmate as far as architectural design and how everything flows
I agree and not cluttered. Beautiful landscaping also.
The thoughtfulness in the design and details is everything
so well done and cozy...cork rules!!
Nice wee hoose! That garden really makes it a retreat. In small space living you really have to use every nook and cranny so shoe storage within the stairs makes sense. All in all this is a really lovely home for a single person or a childless couple.
Nice home I love that it is so natural and she appreciates her home and loves nature, so wonderful to see some being so appreciative for what she has
It made me think when she was talking.
As a kid we lived near woods just across the street. And lose around on other sides.
Then when we moved to the city we still always had trees around. Even in the desert. She has a great home.💕💕💕
For sharing another architecture home with us I always love these unusual buildings
Love her lifestyle concepts and all the simplicity ❤😊
It's beautiful and functional and seems like its part of her / perfect for her and Bear
I love the simplicity of this house and it's gardens that giant tree is a defining character of this piece of land
i wish we could have seen the commercial space downstairs. it looks like there is a whole other dimension to this building that we've been excluded from
Maybe you were excluded because you didn’t need to know.
I think that is a valid issue. I am actually pretty negative on this house because to me there’s nothing especially aesthetically pleasing. If there were another dimension to this space, I may have come away with much more appreciation. So if you’re gonna talk all about the upstairs, why not talk and show at least a little of the downstairs and how it works as a space. I am all for in-fill housing. I actually live in one. My house, although fairly new was designed to blend in with the original 110-year-old structures in the neighborhood.
@@diamondperidot Then why bother with agreeing to have your home filmed so strangers on the internet can see into your home to begin with??
I love this aesthetic style. Very envious of her beautiful boulders and rock collection...they're harder to come by here in Eastern Coastal North Carolina.
Love it inside and out. Great use of land space and living space. Lives much larger than it is.
Really great use of the space!!! 👏🏻
It’s so natural and soothing.
Cork: reusable, antifungi, termic isolation, acoustic isolation, Nice.
Very cool house, love all the natural materials. I like her thought ‘she fits into this space that was assigned to her’……
Well done with all the natural materials, an oasis...
That tree on the corner though ❤️
What a wonderful place/esthetic. Nice job, ma’am!
Those higher ceilings give the house a much larger feel. LOVE the terrazzo.
I love this house! Most are building too much house now days. We work in construction and I see this everyday. We also live in a small home. Have never had a desire to have a big house.
I love this house. She did a fantastic job. Well Done Lass! Best Regards and Best Wishes!
Beautiful, well conceived and love the natural materials used, especially the terrazzo and clay walls
Perfection! Lovely.
Very groove California vibe. I noticed from some previous videos how your Levi’s aged from dark new to old in just a short time.
Super cool house! Very imaginative use of space, and very interesting symbiosis between the owner & her home. Cute doggie too :-)
Thank you for sharing.
I love what she's created here. Brilliant work! ❤❤❤❤❤
Had to laugh about moving the rocks. Reminds me of myself.
Love it! Thanks for sharing! Greetings from Aus
Such a great use of space and really doesn’t seem constraining at all. Her passion comes through very genuinely in this and such a cool spot!
I’ve missed this channel! So good to find again and this home is the first I see. Love. Just enough garden space perfectly outfitted for space, tranquillity, and movement. Sink and counter terrazzo. Ucch, so good! I need to unbusy my place only a bit more.
such a beautiful house , plus the frontyard is absolutely brilliant
One of the best features here is the creativity and convenient features. 💛💛
Very efficient design, no space is wasted. Nice mixture of different materials , anchors the home to the site.
My third year architecture studio professor would be inspired by the project.
How beautiful! ❤
I'm getting an 80s vibe, funnily enough, from this person. Very chic chick
Such a refreshing peaceful home and owner! ☮️🧘♀️
A few feet wider than a traditional tiny house and a whole lot taller...2nd floor is lovely@!🙌
I watched a video a couple nights ago of a 79 year old woman with a 12 ft. wide tiny house. 12 ft. wide makes such a difference. Her bedroom was on the same level. No loft. Her age and all. She wanted the width in case she needed a wheelchair at some point. I forget how long it was. She had her stackable washer and dryer in her bedroom beside the closet. It was all perfect for her at age 79. It was in a tiny house community. She loved it and was so happy. Also having windows in your bedroom with a nice view if get to where you’re in bed a lot - with getting older is so nice.
I feel so zen now from watching that
Nice and functional design of a tiny house. 😮😮
As someone from the motherland of cork: Portugal, I always approve of its use
What an awesome, thoughtful and beautiful home! I want one! 🙂
Beautiful terrazzo countertops! I love how she used glass blocks for her skylight. I might try that in one of my projects. I'm curious about what the ground floor interior looked like.
Amazing vibes, awesome bedroom, all the textures are so inviting. Really enjoyed this one, thankyou
Great design ethic and well executed. Really enjoyed seeing this dwelling and the thought behind it. Sometimes those who conceive spaces can get a little too precious or affirmation-seeking but I found her presentation fairly straightforward, a word you could use for the design aesthetic as well.
Beautiful small but well design to include all the essentials! The earth colour themed ❤❤
super cool spot. seems to block out the city noise well, while being right on the street corner
What nature also is vibrant with color!!
Wonders never cease
I love the house and her philosophy! I could live there if it weren’t in LA! But glad to see some people are appreciating natural building materials and finishes down there!!
This home is so cool! It's the perfect oasis for any WFH yuppie...
You never disappoint 😃
Beautiful house. The cork was wild but it all works
Beautiful home
Beautiful!
Perfect home 💕
Sculptural edge? To the garden..I wish I had that in my living room. Seriously I love that.
I love love love this space!!!
12 feet is the average width for a decent sized bedroom. Great design. Kind of like a multilayered tiny house but without the height limitations. So cool!❤
Lovely use of space, a roof deck would be interesting, the garden spaces upper and lower give great indoor, outdoor effect, the bolders on the outside of the fence both grounds the space, and protects it from road accidents, call it an armored wall effect, a great use of an infill lot.
Thank you for building this unique and beautiful house. We need to support local small businesses and maybe that is one of the way to bring the costs down. Planning and building departments need to be more pro active and businesse friendly. They need to keep rules and regulations simple and clear to everyone involved from the get-go.
WoW !! i love this 💚💚💚
Потрясающий дом!
Спасибо!!
I really like this house. I would want to choose a more tranquil setting to put my house in. I also would add some color and some art on walls. Otherwise, it's really nice. Thanks for sharing.
This is a perfect house!
very zen, very genuine. not some hipster spiritual design. love it.
Loooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeee it! Beautiful home!
At 16:54, I suddenly had an incredible urge to climb that beautiful tree! And I'm 60!
Awesome branch structure, though!
(Edit: corrected time above)
My architectural professor, Daveed Kapoor, designed this!
Glad to see him get credit. The lot was problematic, BUT the house, combined with the landscape design resulted in ... a STELLAR HOME.
Never paint. I admire people who understand that about those materials.
I didn't catch the detail of how cork performs as a siding material. Does it shed water? What's under it? Tyvek or some other moisture barrier? Does it keep water from entering the structure and rotting the framing?
That's because they didn't discuss the benefits of it besides it being natural.
Here is a video I saw a while back that gives you a really neat explanation. [ ua-cam.com/video/iXY_f-bJDyA/v-deo.htmlsi=n1FLd0KKllwkeh9X ]
I would also suggest doing a little Googling simply because even this video doesn't tell you the entire story .
Kirsten also did a passive cork house video about a year ago [ ua-cam.com/video/b0vE_iaRqr8/v-deo.htmlsi=uSx54mJJj5vxIn-C ]
It does shed because it's a natural material and acts very much like a tree.
Typically yes there is a "wrap" or "underlayment" to keep moisture from penetrating your OSB or whatever you are using as a base exterior.
Watch Matt's video first then Kirsten's. What I can tell everyone that may be interested is, the entire process for harvesting cork is done by hand. No machines and almost the entire process from harvest to sale is CO2 negative.
Love it!! Love it all!
Plum Grove House is a good example as well. love this. she must be an Architect.
Amazing house
Love this!!
Very nice ❤