Hollywood Hills Residence

Design Options to Suit Variant Architectural Styles

Because the house was old, the openings were not standard. The SL45, with its options and styles, solved this problem. Accordingly, Meirzwa never seriously considered other glass operable walls. “I felt the NanaWalls were a good match to fit the nonstandard openings and the existing casement windows,” she elaborates. “My exterior house trim color is a dark gray-black-brown – and the Nana color option matched perfectly!”

Feeling connected in this way to the beautiful environs of Mount Washington was important to Meirzwa and her family. “No matter what we’re doing, from every vantage point in the house we are able to feel the shifting breezes, listen to the falling raindrops, and admire the ever-changing colors in the sky,” she says.

After the renovation, the room became her favorite in the house. “If it were anybody else's house, it would be weird to make one's bathroom the highlight of a house tour, but the NanaWall windows take everyone’s breath away,” she says. The opening affords an exceptional view of the canyons, drives and the skyline of Southern California.

The house was built by the Milwaukee Building Company (later famous for designing Paramount Studios and Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian Theaters). Frank Lloyd Wright’s influences are obvious – a local architect who had studied directly under Wright at Taliesin did some of the work.

The Nanawall System Complements Rather Than Competes

With this in mind, Meirzwa had two design goals: “Keep true to the historic existing elements, and interpret a Wrightian feel.” She also chose sparse hardware and monochrome tiles, adding, “I wanted the bathroom to be serene and unadorned, with a respectful nod to Wright and the Orient. The materials I chose had to be simple, straightforward, and honest. In that room, the view is the focal point so everything had to accessorize nature; and Nanawalls support, rather than compete, with that.”

The SL45 is a standard aluminum folding- or paired-panel system. This top-hung system is easy to clean and operate and provides effective sealing and insulating properties. Now Meirzwa and her family have an increased connection to a property that abuts a 37-acre federally protected conservation. Oaks, ponderosa and eucalyptus trees provide shelter for owls, ravens, hawks and coyotes – and inspiration for her family – on a daily basis. .