From spectacular showrooms to glamorous gallery-like spaces, L.A. homeowners set their sights on the ultimate garage
Written by Wendy Bowman | Photography Courtesy of The Agency
When it comes to lavish garages, L.A.’s auto aficionados can pretty much have their pick. There are more than enough options from which to choose—all just waiting to showcase a prized collection of luxury or vintage vehicles or to serve as the ultimate man cave.
“L.A. is, and always has been, a land of beautiful cars,” says Trevor Abramson, design principal at Culver City’s Abramson Teiger Architects.
“We like to give our clients an opportunity to showcase their collectibles on their own property. We look at these showcase rooms as another habitable space of the home, as opposed to a place to simply store a car. They are designed with the same level of detail and high-quality materials seen throughout the other rooms in the house…often with lots of natural light, large-scale windows and beautiful views.”
For Abramson, the creativity for home garages is endless. A current Pacific Palisades project includes a glass-enclosed wing that not only exhibits vintage cars, but also overlooks Rustic Canyon and opens to a courtyard leading to an office and open retreat. Another recent project features a minimal carport that doubles as a workspace for photographing major car advertisements and a personal auto showroom for a commercial photographer in Calabasas, complete with stunning mountain views.
Then there’s the architectural beauty at 1307 Sierra Alta Way on the Sunset Strip, now on the market for $22.9 million. Designed by Cyrus Harouni of Hafco & Associates and listed by The Agency, one finds its impressive seven-car gallery garage enclosed by steel folding glass doors. Yet other standout features include custom linear lighting; epoxy flooring; a maplepaneled ceiling; and a sliding glass wall that allows the homeowner to peer at the cars from inside the home.
“Most garages are being treated not just as an auxiliary space, but also as part of the main living quarters,” says Harouni. “It’s pretty much like showing
off your jewelry.” Ladies and gents, start your engines!
