Los Angeles architect Clive Wilkinson has designed his own family home atop a hilly site to draw cues from nearby modern dwellings that resemble "spaceships on stilts".

Located in West Los Angeles, the property is the home of Wilkinson, his wife, and three children.
"Wilkinson had always yearned for the slightly surreal opportunity of designing his own floating home and finally came across the chance to do so when he found a steep site in west Los Angeles for sale in 2016," said Clive Wilkinson Architects.

An existing home on the site was removed, along with dense vegetation that had taken hold over the years. "Once the site was cleared, the view revealed itself and it became clear that the design needed to respond directly to and highlight the spectacular scenery of the vast urban landscape below." From the street, the building appears to be only two stories tall, matching the height of its neighbours. It is composed of an angular volume covered in black zinc panels that sits above a low-slung sand-blasted concrete level punctuated by a garage door and the entrance.

The top level is punctuated by a large terrace at the rear of the house. It partially cantilevers out to rest on stilts and provide cover to another outdoor space below.
"An inspiration for the house was the iconic modern homes of Los Angeles that seem to float above the city like spaceships on stilts, perched within the backbone of hills that shape the LA Basin," said...