"When he looked around his wooded one-acre lot in Mission Canyon, Carmichael wondered how he could design a house without destroying the natural beauty of the site. Finally, he thought, 'Why not go with the free-form shape of the property?' Inspired by the fanciful creations of Antonio Gaudi, a turn-of-the-century Spanish architect, Carmichael let his imagination run wild."
"The resulting house has no straight lines, no flat walls, no conventional floor plan. In fact, nothing about the house is conventional, including the entrance, which is edged with rocks to look like a whale's mouth full of teeth. A window high above the front door resembles the whale's eye."
"I feel like I'm in the world's most luxurious tree house. It provides a natural and nurturing environment that encourages flow and creativity and helps me focus."
Southern California's residential architecture typically follows predictable patterns, but several exceptional homes break this mold dramatically. The Whale House in Santa Barbara represents one of the most distinctive examples, designed by engineer/developer Michael Carmichael over three years with a crew of 20 workers. Built on a wooded one-acre lot, the house features no straight lines, flat walls, or conventional floor plans. Its entrance resembles a whale's mouth with rock-edged teeth, while a window above serves as the whale's eye. Three levels wind around a rock-covered elevator shaft, with most windows overlooking an interior courtyard of native oaks and sycamores. Cedar shingles form the exterior. The current occupant describes living there as peaceful and magical, comparing it to a luxurious tree house that encourages creativity and focus.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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