David M. Parker, AIA
Laguna Beach Architect · 2025-03-21 · 3 min read
Open the maps app, switch to satellite, and start looking. Laguna Beach's most fascinating homes aren't the ones you see from the street — they're the ones that reveal themselves only from above.
Here's something fun you can do sometimes while waiting in line. Open the maps app on your cellphone, switch to satellite and look for houses in Laguna with an unusual shape.
Laguna Beach is known for its diverse home designs that often can be seen from above. As you cruise around maps, you can find houses with curves, angles and unusual orientations — like the snail-shaped house on Nyes Place, the hexagonal house at the east end of Allview Terrace, and the curvy house at the end of Coronado Drive.
The Lautner Connection
A pair of architects from Netherlands once decided to "visit" every house designed by the great LA architect John Lautner. They went on Google Earth and searched for unusually shaped homes, because Lautner almost never designed anything rectilinear. They rediscovered many forgotten Lautner masterpieces, because the unorthodox designs jumped out when seen from above.
Interesting shapes suggest that perhaps something interesting is happening inside, as well.
Were architects like Lautner just trying to be clever, or was something else happening? Lautner was interested in finding a special idea for each design and creating free, joyous spaces. The shape of his homes grew organically as he worked out these ideas in the architecture. His designs are unique, brilliant and timeless.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with rectilinear houses — but interesting shapes suggest that perhaps something interesting is happening inside, as well.
Try It Yourself
There is a Lautner house located in Laguna Beach. Can you find it on Google Maps? (Hint: It's near Summit Drive and shaped like a triangle.)
The next time you have a few spare minutes, pull up satellite view and start exploring the hillsides and canyons of Laguna. What looks like a modest neighborhood from the street can reveal itself to be one of the most architecturally inventive collections of homes in California — visible only from above.
David M. Parker, AIA, is a Laguna Beach architect. Visit dmparchitect.com.
