The Razor House: An Amazing Home Worthy Of A Superhero
Keeping a secret identity would be a superhuman feat if you decided to hang your cape at 9826 La Jolla Farms Way in La Jolla, California. This beautiful creation by San Diego-based architectural designer Wallace E. Cunningham overlooks the Pacific Ocean right on the Torrey Pines State Reserve.
Architectural Digest named Cunningham in the “Top 100 Designer” list of in 2004, 2007, and 2010. Robb Report also featured him in the “Top 30 designers” in 2007. His work is mostly residential and in great part located in Southern California, but he has also designed houses in Illinois, Nebraska, Mexico and Arizona.
The Razor Residence took a whole 5 years to complete and was finished in 2007. The house takes its name after Razor Point; the beautiful trail that is part of the state reserve and runs down the beach for miles. It has private access to Black Beach just walking distance within the property.
The white polished concrete that makes up most of the structure, makes it so the house is in perfect harmony with the surrounding landscape and it naturally melds into the mountainside that is build upon. Functional steel supports and floor to ceiling glass panes further enhance the organic feeling of the home that despite its modern nature, becomes one with the beautiful adjoining topography.
Everything inside the home is connected and it can be controlled using state of the art technology. Via an iPad, you can play videos, ambient music and all kinds of playlists over the strategically placed speaker system available through the house. The controls also allow adjusting the lights as well as window shades present in all glass panes. The home has a forced air-cooling system and radiant heat for warmth. All electrical systems are backed by an on-site backup generator as an extra contingency. Everything in the home can also be controlled from a central computer room that gives access to all systems. No, the computer is not named JARVIS, but that name certainly has a ring to it.
The secluded location sure helps maintain privacy in the event one has to come in and out at different hours, sporting a head-to-toe iron suit and landing and taking off from the driveway. If you want to be subtle, the subterranean garage can store more than four vehicles after entering through the gated access.
The inside of the house is just as beautiful as the exterior. The finest materials were used to craft the many furnishings and details for this spectacular abode. Areas like the library floor, the family room’s ceilings, cabinets and accent walls, use a variety of walnut wood cuts.
The living space totals an approximate 10,240 square feet divided into two large master suites, two extra bedrooms, six bathrooms, two steam showers, a rooftop spa, an outdoor barbeque and a generously equipped glass-walled gym. On top of all this, there is also a multi-leveled guesthouse with two bedrooms, two baths and its own individual access to each room. The see-through glass elevator raises all the way from the underground garage to the top deck. One of the most astonishing features of The Razor, is the infinity pool located facing the coast that gives the illusion that the water is flowing right on to the Pacific ocean.
Some of the biggest challenges in building a home like this, is understanding the terrain and accepting the limitations that creating a dwelling that hugs onto a cliff poses. Cunningham had to stay away from the traditional adoption of a specific building style and play with functionality and structural adequacy.
The house is a part of the mountain just as the mountain is an instrumental part of the house. This is evident when we examine the vertical organization of the floor plan and the huge amount of structural work that went into erecting this monument to boldness in architectural innovation. Think of the home as a structure that behaves like a liquid and flows from the top of the cliff, slowly descending and filling out the spaced left by erosion working its way into the mountainside for millions of years.
Although the house is reminiscent of Tony Stark’s home, the playboy-millionaire super hero lives in 10880 Malibu Point and not in The Razor Residence. The home they show in the movies is computer generated imaging and it doesn’t really exist. However, this house is nothing shy of amazing and has had its part in stardom. The Razor was featured in a VISA Black commercial as well as in a lavish Calvin Klein ad that showcases its elegant forms and over-the-top lifestyle that the home’s atmosphere radiates.
For more amazing architecture and beautiful mansions, check out Donald Burns’ blog.
