Embassy
Embassy is a minimalist residence located in Los Angeles, California, designed by Jessica Alpert. The project confronts a common dilemma in 1980s residential architecture – how to reconcile the era’s compartmentalized layouts and compressed ceiling heights with contemporary domestic life that values spatial flow and natural light. Rather than treating these constraints as fixed conditions, Alpert approached the 6-bedroom, 5-bath home as an opportunity to fundamentally reconsider how families occupy and move through domestic space.
Removing an interior balcony opened sightlines between levels, while raised ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows dissolve the barriers between interior rooms and the surrounding landscape. These moves echo the spatial strategies of midcentury California modernism, where the home becomes a transparent membrane rather than an enclosure. The expanded glazing does not simply admit more daylight – it establishes a reciprocal relationship between inside and outside, allowing the property’s natural features to inform the experience of inhabiting the rooms.
Portola Paints’ roman clay brings an earthy, handcrafted quality to wall surfaces, its subtle variations in tone and finish recalling the plaster techniques found in vernacular Mediterranean architecture. This warmth extends to the custom bar, where Cle Tile creates geometric patterning that feels both contemporary and rooted in craft traditions. The deliberate layering of vintage pieces alongside bespoke furniture – including sofas, sectionals, tables, and bedroom pieces designed by Alpert – suggests an understanding that domestic interiors gain character through accumulation and curation rather than unified aesthetic statements.