HILLCREST
Pool Cabana & Outdoor Entertainment Pavilion
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Glendale, CA
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outdoors-reimagined
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Project Description
There's a version of outdoor living that's a patio set and a portable grill. And then there's this.
When this client came to us, they had a beautiful backyard and a pool that wasn't doing enough work. They wanted a space that could host a dinner party on a Tuesday, a lazy Sunday by the water, and everything in between — without ever feeling like they'd left the comfort of their home.
What we designed was something we hadn't seen done quite this way before: a fully equipped entertainment pavilion where the roof is the statement. Solar panels integrated into a louvered pergola structure — generating energy, filtering light, and creating one of the most dramatic interior atmospheres we've built. Day or night, this space has a mood.
Plans, permits, and construction. All of it ours.
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Story
The client had done the backyard thing before. Outdoor furniture that sat through three seasons unused. A grill that came out on holidays. A pool that was beautiful to look at but rarely the center of anything.
They didn't want another version of that. They wanted the backyard to feel like somewhere you'd actually choose to be — morning coffee, afternoon work calls, dinner with twelve people, a quiet glass of wine after the kids were down.
So we started with that question: what does this family actually do, and how do we build a space around it?
The answer was a pavilion that doesn't ask you to choose between inside and outside. The glass walls open completely — the pool becomes the view, the breeze comes through, the whole property connects. Close them and the space transforms. Suddenly you're in a room. The solar panel ceiling filters the afternoon light into something almost cinematic. The wine wall glows. The table is set. The evening begins.
The solar panels weren't an afterthought — they were the concept. Clean energy powering the home, integrated into an architectural element that makes the space feel one-of-a-kind. Function and beauty in the same move. That's the kind of problem we like to solve.
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Showcase
Gallery
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Details
What Makes It Work
Solar panel louvered roof
Panels are integrated into a structural slat system that doubles as the ceiling. Energy generation that's visible, intentional, and beautiful. Light filters through the gaps throughout the day, shifting the interior mood from morning to evening.
Full-opening glass wall system
Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass panels span the full front face of the pavilion. Open completely for a seamless indoor-outdoor experience. Close them and the space becomes a fully conditioned room.
Wood slat privacy screens
Warm cedar louvers frame both sides of the structure. They filter views, control airflow, and give the building its identity from the outside.
Black marble bar + cabinetry
The kitchen wall is built for serious entertaining. Black Nero Marquina-style marble countertop and backsplash. Taupe flat-panel upper cabinetry. Gold-accented pendant lighting overhead.
Live-edge log bar table
The centerpiece of the poolside experience. A single massive slab, bookended by the raw cross-section ends of the log. Nothing else like it on the property — or the block.
Aggregate stone BBQ station
Outdoor cooking built into the hardscape. Exposed aggregate finish on the base, matching the raw, grounded material palette of the exterior.
Wine refrigeration column
Full-height, glass-front wine storage integrated into the bar wall. Lit from within. As much a display as an appliance.
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The Bigger Idea
Outdoor Living
Re-Imagined
Southern California gives you roughly 285 sunny days a year. Most backyards use maybe ten of them intentionally.
This project was about taking that math seriously. A space engineered to work in every season, every time of day, every kind of gathering, and one that gives something back to the grid while it does it.
The solar roof isn't a green checkbox. It's the reason this ceiling looks the way it does. Sometimes the most practical decision and the most beautiful one are the same decision. We look for those moments in every project we take on.
