Pasinetti
Beverly Hills, CA
Homes
Design + Build
This project began with deep respect for what already existed.
The Pasinetti Residence is not simply a house. It is a quiet but important artifact of Los Angeles modernism, designed in 1958 by Haralamb Georgescu for Pier Maria Pasinetti. Its geometry, its restraint, and its clarity of intent place it firmly within a lineage that valued reason, proportion, and lived experience over stylistic excess. Any intervention had to begin by listening.
By the time we became involved, the house required a complete rebuild. Every surface, system, and assembly was taken down to the studs. What remained was not nostalgia, but structure, proportion, and an underlying architectural intelligence that deserved to be carried forward intact. This was a design+build effort in the truest sense, where architecture and construction moved together, informed by constant feedback between concept, detailing, and execution.
The original design is rooted in pure geometry. Cubes organized in sequence. Planes sliding past one another. Light used as a material. Our task was not to reinterpret this language, but to sharpen it. We focused on preserving the spatial logic while rebuilding the house to perform as a contemporary residence, technically robust and materially honest.
Material choices were intentionally restrained. Wood paneling was reintroduced as a primary interior surface, not as decoration, but as structure, storage, and spatial continuity. Built in cabinetry becomes wall, wall becomes furniture. This allowed the house to maintain its visual calm while quietly accommodating modern life. Floors, ceilings, and millwork were aligned to reinforce the original modular discipline of the house.
Light was treated with equal care. Large openings were preserved and refined, not enlarged for effect. Daylight is controlled, filtered, and allowed to move across surfaces. At night, lighting recedes into architecture. Fixtures are minimal, often hidden, so that illumination supports space rather than competes with it. The goal was always atmosphere, not brightness.
The kitchen was rebuilt as a working core rather than a showpiece. Integrated appliances, continuous countertops, and open shelving emphasize utility and clarity. Materials are durable and tactile. This is a space meant to be used daily, not admired from a distance. Its modernity lies in its restraint.
Living spaces were reorganized to reinforce openness while maintaining intimacy. The double height volumes, stairs, and mezzanines were carefully detailed so that movement through the house feels deliberate and fluid. The stair is not an object, but a connective element, light and precise, reinforcing the spatial rhythm established in the original design.
Bedrooms were treated as quiet retreats. Simple planes, controlled views, and carefully selected textures create spaces that feel calm and grounded. Nothing is excessive. Everything serves a purpose.
Exterior spaces were equally important. Courtyards, terraces, and transitional zones extend the interior outward. The house engages the landscape without dominating it. Planting, walls, and outdoor furnishings were chosen to support privacy, shade, and continuity rather than spectacle. This relationship between inside and outside is central to midcentury modern thinking, and it remains just as relevant today.
Throughout the project, the guiding principle was longevity. Materials were selected not for trend, but for endurance. Wood, concrete, steel, glass. Honest materials that age with dignity. Systems were upgraded quietly and thoroughly so the house could perform for decades without compromising its architectural clarity.
This was not a renovation meant to announce itself. It was an act of stewardship. The goal was to allow the house to continue its life with integrity, clarity, and relevance. To honor Georgescu’s vision while acknowledging that architecture must live in the present.
In the end, the Pasinetti Residence stands as both restoration and continuation. A house rebuilt from the studs up, yet unmistakably itself. Modern not because it follows current fashion, but because it remains grounded in ideas that endure.
