Zen House Collective for Sotheby?s International Realty

Ruby worked with a team of architects from SCI-Arc to design the Sunland spread. Location: Sunland, Los Angeles
Year built: 2009
Architects: Sandy Watts, Tammy Ho, Simon Storey, with Sterling Ruby
Specs: 3 beds, 2 baths, 2,331 square feet, 0.58 acres
Price: $1,189,000

Sandwiched between the Verdugo and San Gabriel Mountains, Sunland is one of the lowest-density neighborhoods in Los Angeles, thanks in part to its agricultural origins (it was once a region of olive orchards and grape vineyards). Though lately the neighborhood has seen an influx of house hunters nosing around in hopes of finding more space for less money, there are some well-known longtime residents, including the California poet laureate and former congressman John Steven McGroarty, and, more recently, contemporary mixed-media artist Sterling Ruby, whose live-work compound is now on the market. Located at 8248 McGroarty Street, one mile west of the McGroarty Arts Center, the gated retreat was designed in 2009 by Ruby in collaboration with three architects from SCI-Arc: Sandy Watts, Tammy Ho, and Simon Storey. Several trees are built into the structure of the house, which takes cues from traditional Scandinavian and Japanese design, as well as from the minimalist aesthetic of abstract sculptor Tony Smith.

ZenHouse Collective for Sotheby?s International Realty
Warm knotty-pine paneling and a concrete-block fireplace add to ...