La Cañada Home to appear in Diane Keaton Book
The home of Michael Burch and Diane Wilk in La Cañada
Flintridge will appear in Diane Keaton’s new book on Spanish
Colonial Revival Architecture by Rizzoli Press. The 1925
house was purchased 6 years ago and recently enlarged by
Michael and Diane, both architects, to meet the needs of
their expanding family. Their award-winning firm, Michael
Burch Architects, based in La Cañada, has been repeatedly
featured in Architectural Digest and other leading journals.
The house will be open for the La Cañada Annual Spring Home
Tour May 5, 2006.
The house was of
architectural interest prior to the expansion. Arthur
Kelly, prominent Los Angeles architect whose practice
included such buildings as the campus of the Westlake School
and the Playboy Mansion, designed the house as his personal
residence.When the Burch’s purchased the home, it was
essentially intact with only minor upgrades to the kitchen.
Original stenciling, hardware and light fixtures all
remained. Beams with carved Ram’s heads, grace the living
room. The Burchs restored the house. Then triplets were
born to the family and what was a very comfortable 2,300 sf
house was doubled in size to fit the new family.
Luckily, Michael Burch Architects has extensive
experience working on architecturally significant Period
Revival homes, including houses designed by Wallace Neff,
George Washington Smith, John Byers and Paul Williams. Much
of this work entails correcting unfortunate additions from
previous remodels. Their work updates homes in a sensitive
and appropriate way. In the Burch house, natural light is
important – most rooms have exposure from 2-3 sides. New
rooms have arched, vaulted or wood beamed ceilings. Other
details include stenciling, inlaid cabinet doors and
extensive use of Tunsian tile. Additionally, Spanish
gardens and fountains were added. The project serves to
enhance the original composition and maintains a level of
craft and detail that is rarely found today.
The romance and drama of the
firm’s work, whether new construction or
renovations/additions, captures the imagination. Their
client list, with many in the entertainment industry,
includes: Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, James Belushi,
John Getty, Victoria Principal and George Wendt. Michael
Burch Architects limits the number of commissions to insure
personalized services from the architect throughout all
stages of the project.