A Sweet Solar-Powered Studio for an LA Graphic Designer

New York architect Mike Jacobs brought this sweet update on the Cape Cod saltbox all the way to the west coast.

The charming house is for a live-work space; with the work – a graphic design studio – upstairs.

The upstairs studio stretches the entire length of the compact building.

In an unusual move, the nearly invisible cooking, eating and sleeping is all done downstairs.

The home is clearly designed for an artist whose real joy of life is her work.

The cross ventilated loft space is conducive to creative thought, so the relaxing space is up in the studio.

The upstairs studio is a bright sunny space where the artist meets with clients.

This downstairs kitchen barely registers as a kitchen, but connects directly to the earth and grounds the artist in the reality of Los Angeles – with the swimming pool just outside.

Floor to ceiling cabinets fill the dining room wall.

A huge sliding glass wall opens the living space totally to the outdoors.

And in a sweet touch, all the electricity the house needs is attractively supplied by the sleek solar system on the roof, with any excess fed to the LA grid.