- Interior
- Architecture & development
The luxury exuded by the huge villas of the biggest stars in Los Angeles often seems like a far cry from what you are used to. Yet, if you look closely enough, you can also discover beautiful Belgian-made designs. For instance, we'd like to take you to the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains where 1055 Stradella, a fully customised high-end home, exudes Belgian glory in its interiors.
To create the most beautiful designs, it is often smart to join forces. That principle was also applied when the magnificent concept of 1055 Stradella was created. International and award-winning studios Saota Architects from South Africa, Los Angeles-based architect-builder David Maman and Belgian architectural studio Dieter Vander Velpen Architects pulled out all the stops to take the entire design to the highest level. The dazzling interior was realised by Dieter Vander Velpen's Antwerp studio. Through a symbiosis of wood, natural stone and bronze, they succeeded in making the entire interior appear an unseen splendour. The harmonious unit exhibits a refined, warm whole in which function and aesthetics merge effortlessly. In this way, for example, the round arches dazzle you with their splendour and at the same time take you into a new area of the building. 
The exploration of the interior begins immediately in the hall: the warm, intimate atmosphere is achieved by the dark-stained oak ceiling while the walls draw you into the living area. There, you can choose to follow the travertine tiles to the terrace with pool or enjoy the stunning view over the LA mountains. Room-high windows connect every room of the first floor, allowing you to enjoy stunning sea views in the living, dining, family room and kitchen. The heart of the house, the kitchen, exudes power with its striking island that beckons invitingly for extensive aperitifs. The bronze extractor hood looks like a gleaming spotlight that draws even more attention to the natural stone kitchen island. Besides the breathtaking living space, the first floor also makes room for a kitchen and bathroom for the house staff, a cloakroom, an office space and a bar, among other things. 
The endless luxury that extends as far as the horizon you look at from these rooms
The breathtaking floating oak staircase with stone wall to the hand of Pierre de Varennes seamlessly merges the upper floors. Arriving on the second floor, you can admire the magnificent primary suite: a cocoon in which the occupant can feel completely safe and totally de-connect from the busy world. The master bedroom, together with the en-suite bathroom, forms a heavenly place due to the endless luxury that extends as far as the horizon you look at from these rooms. Yet a follow-up room on the top floor offers the ultimate in luxury; the primary bathroom features a true showstopper: the hand-carved circular bathtub carved in Italy from a full block of marble shines in its unity. Further into the suite, you can also find a space dressing room, for him and for her. Besides this abundance of splendour, three more bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, a lounge and a roof terrace nestle in this floor. Descending two floors along the magnificent staircase, you come across a glass wine cellar on your right, equipped with bronze frames, to stock the finest bottles at the right temperature. Through the wine cabinet, you'll emerge into the versatile entertainment room that houses a bar with seating area and a home cinema. Still not able to relax enough? No problem, you can still head to your very own spa resort where a sauna with steam room awaits you. Finally, you can also park your various cars on the ground floor in the spacious garage. 
Feeling like staying in this villa? Then we would take our best shot at having a chat with the architects at Dieter Vander Velpen Architects. 

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Photography by Patricia Goijens