Encino Home sits on the north slope of the Santa Monica Mountains, in a part of the San Fernando Valley where mid-century architects – Quincy Jones, Richard Dorman, Martin Gelber – built post-and-beam houses among the hillside oaks, a legacy that still shapes the neighborhood. Lidan Sfadia’s 7,500 sqft residence does not try to replicate the mid-century idiom, but instead learns from it – creating a project built on restraint, material honesty, and respect for the site, which is then channeled through a vocabulary drawn from European estate architecture and Napa Valley’s agrarian elegance.
A crushed limestone driveway, the kind you would find at a Burgundian domaine, replaces the usual asphalt. Steel-framed sliders sit within the gated perimeter, industrial but kept lean enough that they do not overwhelm. A central courtyard occupies the generous setback from the street, transforming what might have been dead buffer space into a usable arrival garden.
European white oak runs through the flooring and into the bespoke cabinetry, creating a warm, continuous tone across rooms that differ in size and purpose. While white oak’s tight grain holds up well in California’s dry climate, its honeyed color avoids both the coolness of walnut and the informality of reclaimed wood. Calacatta marble appears at key moments – most strikingly in a fireplace mantel whose edges have been softened into rounded profiles rather than cut to the sharp, slab-like geometry typical of contemporary stone work.
Antique brass Watermark fittings bring warmth to the neutral palette of stone and wood. The same logic extends to the soft linen drapery, whose matte, slightly textured weave absorbs light rather than bouncing it, contributing to a quieter side of luxury.
The house splits into two wings – one holds the main living spaces while the other contains a home theater, office, and gym. Double-height ceilings greet guests at the entry, but the oak tones running along every horizontal surface maintain the scale. The result is a house that somehow reads as smaller than its size, which for a home meant to feel intimate rather than impressive, is no small achievement.
To learn more about the designer visit lidansfadia.com.
Photography by Nils Timm.
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