A 5-year Los Angeles gut renovation by Broad Project with arched steel windows placed by solar study, Spanish terracotta, Roman clay plaster, and a patio-turned-kitchen

Nichols Canyon Estate is a 5-year gut renovation in Los Angeles by Broad Project, the practice led by Lucie Klimes and Tanya Saban. The project restructured the floor plan to add a bedroom and bathroom on the main floor and enclosed a large patio to create a new kitchen, expanding the house's program while maintaining the overall building envelope. The redesign also replaced existing windows with arched steel frames and bi-fold doors, positioned using solar studies to determine where afternoon light would enter the interior at specific angles and times of day. Klimes and Saban describe the resulting light quality as sing-songy and dappled.

The material palette is built from handcrafted Spanish terracotta flooring, Roman clay plaster walls, custom French oak flooring, and custom iron railings. The terracotta's thermal variation is perceptible underfoot in different seasons; the clay plaster introduces a textural quality to the wall surface that smooth paint cannot produce; the iron railings carry their weight in the hand. The studio's approach to the project extended beyond visual decisions to how the materials behave in use and in contact.

Custom millwork throughout the house references traditional joinery techniques while meeting contemporary functional requirements. Bespoke pieces from local artisans and makers are integrated into the interior, consistent with Broad Project's broader practice of grounding each project in craft specific to its place.