This panoramic living room from the late 1960s included several creative elements, but the main focal point was the huge dramatic fireplace that was set in the middle of the room.
The two-level square brick hearth surrounding the fire itself had a wide space around the edges, so one of those steps could be used for seating or in place of a coffee table.
The fireplace hood was a huge white cube descending from the ceiling over the open hearth, with a couple of feet of space between the two parts of the structure.
DON’T MISS: See a circular stone fire pit right in the middle of this living room
By design, the fireplace itself was also non-traditional. Instead of wood, inside the pit, ceramic rocks could be set aflame by a gas jet. (For this home, the benefits of gas over a wood-burning fire were that there was no ash, no smoke, and no screen to interfere with the room’s openness.)
The living room had three seating areas, which were arranged to take in both the hearth and the hillside view.
In the corner of the room, at the apex of two separate balconies, a small modern dinette set was positioned to capture the view from two angles.
A vast banquette — built-in sofa-like seating — filled two sides of the room around the fireplace surround, creating a wonderful conversation area.
ALSO SEE: A conversation pit by a fireplace was the center of this spectacular 2-story living room
Diagonally opposite from the fireplace seating were an orange sofa and chair arranged around a white marble coffee table with a chrome stand. The hot color of the upholstery was especially intense in the afternoon sun.
Throughout the house, ceilings were natural redwood, walls were white, and — most unique of all — the glass doors, walls, and windows were framed in bright orange and olive green.
The carpeting in the living room was a low-pile shag rug in a soft ecru color that filled all the floor space, and went right up to the fireplace surround.
