A DUPLEX IN MALIBU

These two houses right on the beach in Malibu belong to a man who was once an L.A. County lifeguard (and still is — as a Seasonal). So he knows how important it is to build somehing that will stand up to the elements! The exterior has no wood and very little paint exposed to the salt air. With copper roofs, gutters, and downspouts, slate shingles for the siding, and marble everywhere, even the lower floor can be cleared of furniture, in case the sea ever breaks over the seawalls, and even then, the damage would be minimal.

When considering drawing the house, only the one on the left existed. While the owner was in the process of building the other one for his father to live in, I decided to wait and to draw them both.

These cleverly compact houses are decorated with an easy combination of rattan furniture and personal mementos from a busy career in television. “A lifeguard will always find a way to live close to the water,” the owner has told me. His houses are excellent examples of how to do this.

A Duplex in Malibu
Matt Kivlin, Architect
Malibu, California, 2007
Exploded view
2010
57 1/2” x 43”
Ink on paper