Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Designer Rob Diaz Blends Old-World Material and Contemporary Style on a Southern California New Build

Designer Rob Diaz Blends Old-World Material and Contemporary Style on a Southern California New Build

The exquisite outdoor landscape features 60-year-old Manzanilla olive trees and a 4,000 pound marble fountain.

Los Angeles-based designer and builder Rob Diaz is no stranger to buying and transforming houses that are "beyond saving." In fact, he relishes embracing the unexpected and taking architectural risks that may be challenging-like installing a garden on the roof between two A-frame structures.

When Diaz purchased this property in Sherman Oaks, California, he tore down the previous structure and began work on the outdoor space before building the home itself, underlining the importance of transitional indoor and outdoor living in southern California.

"I knew I wanted to plant really large Manzanilla olive trees in the back centered on these two steel French doors, so I had those craned in and installed before we even started the house," he says. "We dug the 50-foot long pool first, planted the trees, and then built the house."

The four bedroom, five bathroom project features a unique A-frame that divides the home into two halves. On the second level, French doors lead to a quaint outdoor garden in the center of the home. Though the home is modern in shape, Diaz was inspired by old European and French architecture when selecting his building materials. Rather than using concrete or drywall, he gravitated toward the liveliness and rusticity of plaster and clay (the interior walls are all hand troweled clay from Clayworks in England).

"The whole outside of the house was laid piece by piece and it's all natural material. There's a play between France and California," he says. "There’s no concrete on the outside of the property, it’s a mix of cobblestone and limestone. I just wanted everything to be natural."

Diaz inserted unexpected creative moments throughout the house, like carving out a nook for a daybed underneath the staircase, or placing an old piece of lumber in the powder bath. "Powder bathrooms are the most fun to do because you can do anything you want," he says.



Kitchen




The warm and airy kitchen sits adjacent to the living room and is situated in the back of the property with easy access to the pool and outdoor greenery. "What is hard to do hard on a 50-foot wide house is to put the kitchen in the middle of the house,” Diaz explains.

A stunning 16-foot marble countertop lies beneath a vintage Angelo Leii large flush mount. The tile backsplash is from Cle Tile, while the stainless steel appliances are Thermador.

Living Room




Right off the kitchen, the living room offers a beautiful view of the backyard. The large glass steel doors and bright white drapery by Everhem allows natural light to fill the room. The focal point of the living area is the sleek Apparatus fireplace made of Arabescato Calacatta marble. "I left the fireplace marble to just speak for itself, I didn’t do built-ins there," Diaz says.

Beneath the staircase is a recess daybed built out of white oak. Inside the hideout, you'll find little cubbies for storage and a task light-making for a cozy reading nook. The walls are plaster from Clayworks and the contemporary wall large sconce is from Apparatus.

Primary Bedroom




It was crucial for Diaz that the primary suite was separated from the other two bedrooms and bathrooms on the top floor. To reach it, you have to walk through a glass hallway on the left side of the A-frame. The retreat has fluted walls with demi rustic clay and custom floating oak closets made of white oak. Off the suite is its own private landscaped terrace.

Primary Bathroom




In the primary bath, a single white resin tub graces the center of the room with an arrow-shaped pendant from Apparatus hovering overhead. The geometric cylinder mirrors from Bower Studios add dimension above the massive 17-foot Arabascato marble on the vanity. "We put it [the marble vanity] over the windows, and we have motorized Roman shades that drop down behind the vanity, so we had to wrap the vanity 360 degrees," Diaz explains.



Exterior




The exquisite outdoor landscape has a 50-year-old coastal live oak tree, 60-year-old Manzanilla olive trees, and Brazilian pepper trees. "We also have water fountains on the property, including a fountain in the back from Bali. We have 4,000 pound piece of marble that we had installed as a fountain in the front yard," Diaz describes. The resort-style quartz pool is a rough cut limestone block.



While it may look like concrete at first glance, the facade of the home is made of a beautiful Horizon stone, while the patio is composed of cobblestone and limestone from Eco Outdoor Natural in Beverly Hills. "We also did a gravel driveway and corrugated steel roof,” Diaz says-a decision that adds texture to the space.


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
×