Stylish steel scuppers move water away from the 33 concrete piles (some as deep as 90 feet) that support the house and toward corner planting beds.
Rebecca Garrett Stylish steel scuppers move water away from the 33 concrete piles (some as deep as 90 feet) that support the house and toward corner planting beds.

This hillside home enjoys 360-degree views of Santa Monica Bay. Unfortunately, its prime location is in a landslide zone, so designer Susan Morse carefully diverted rainwater away from its concrete pile foundation. “Improper drainage causes these landslides,” Morse says, “so I used obvious scuppers to highlight where the water goes.” Our judges were immediately drawn to the functional elegance of the scuppers. They also appreciated the “beautifully executed” mahogany rainscreen. Its evenly spaced slats hide the less beautiful components of the water-removal system, but not those sculptural scuppers.

Project Creidts
Entrant/Designer: SML Design Studio, Los Angeles
Builder: MG Partners, Camarillo, Calif.
Living space: 8,215 square feet
Construction cost: Withheld
Photographer: Rebecca Garrett

Rebecca Garrett

Product Specs
Doors: Signature Millworks; Exterior siding: VaproShield; Hardware: Vieler International GmbH + Co. KG; Kitchen cabinets: Bulthaup Corp.; Lighting fixtures: Hydrel Lighting, Lumascape USA; Oven/range: Gaggenau USA/Canada; Paints/stains/wall finishes: American Clay Enterprises, Donald Kaufman Color; Roofing: Sika Sarnafil; Skylights/roof windows: Aluminex Extrusions; Solar energy system: California Solar, MidNite Solar, SMA Solar Technology AG, SunPower Corp., Viessmann Manufacturing Co.; Windows: Duratherm Window Corp.