The architects behind the Pendry Residences West Hollywood by Montage Hotels & Resorts, LA-based Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects (EYRC), are celebrated for their distinctive “Multicultural Modernism” design philosophy. This humanistic approach, rooted in respect for the inhabitants of a space, draws inspiration from the vernacular elements of site, climate, and culture. The result? Structures that breathe life, resonate with their communities, and uplift those within. Pendry Residences West Hollywood stands as a testament to EYRC’s design approach, harnessing the terrain’s natural incline to offer the utmost privacy and unparalleled views of the Los Angeles skyline.
To gain a deeper understanding of the vision behind this architectural triumph, we had the privilege of speaking with Mathew Chaney, partner at EYRC and Steven Ehrlich, founding partner at EYRC.
What was the foundational vision for Pendry Residences West Hollywood, and how did you anticipate residents connecting with these spaces?
Mathew Chaney: The vision for the Pendry Residences West Hollywood was to create the feeling of 40 unique custom homes tucked into the Hollywood Hills, each complete with the privacy, views, and exclusivity that make living in the hills the pinnacle of the Los Angeles experience.
Steven Ehrlich: The design embodies the hillside homes you see in LA and redefines them in a whole new perspective with a contemporary vision.
The connection between indoor and outdoor spaces is quintessential to the California lifestyle. How have you approached this concept to enhance the living experience at Pendry Residences West Hollywood?
Steven: You have the ability to go from indoors to outdoors and, in a sense, fuse the indoor space with the outdoor terraces. The indoor spaces are very open with clean lines. It’s very contemporary and very quiet — I’d have to say even zen. It’s a very tranquil environment we’ve created.
Mathew: The Pendry Residences are all ‘through’ homes — meaning windows facing a minimum of two directions, east and west, providing sunrise and sunset views, cross ventilation, and a connection to the natural environment; which is not possible with more standard ‘double loaded corridor’ building configurations. The large terraces and expansive sliding glass doors blur the lines between inside and out providing the quintessential California living experience.
What aspects of the Residences’ design and experience do you believe resonates most deeply with the Owners?.
Mathew: We are most excited for Owners to experience the magical duality of the project. The privacy, quiet, and seclusion of the Residences — while being mere steps away from the most vibrant, stylish, and dynamic hotel environment in all of Los Angeles, This is an experience truly unique to Pendry Residences West Hollywood.
Steven: I see Owners really embracing being in an urban oasis enhanced by access to all of the adjacent hotel amenities, including world-class food, drinks, and music.
Given the dramatic slope of the site, how have you innovatively embraced the terrain to optimize views and outdoor spaces?
Mathew: Over its length, the project site falls nearly 70 feet from the Sunset Strip down to Fountain Avenue below. Pendry Residences West Hollywood takes advantage of this by ‘stepping’ the building mass as it moves down the slope. This allows for views from the hotel to see over the Residences — and for a cascading series of rooftop decks and terraces within the Residences that provide incredible amounts of lush outdoor living areas and equally incredible views.
Can you elaborate on this concept of a new urban “hill town”?
Mathew: Pendry Residences West Hollywood has the feel of a “new urban hill town” in the model of Italian and Greek hill towns, clustered homes organically intertwined with each their own unique identity, but also with a collective community identity assembled from the love of the views and the environment; dynamic both visually and socially, created by their proximity and shared passion.
How does the hillside location of Pendry Residences West Hollywood set it apart from other properties in the vicinity?
Steven: This design celebrates privacy in the context of a special community.
Mathew: Pendry Residences’ unique stepped design creates extensive private outdoor roof terraces, lushly landscaped, some with their own private pools and spas. The private elevators opening into every unit and the through unit (east- and west-facing glass) make the Pendry Residences a unique offering.
How have you reimagined the traditional condominium layout in the Residences to evoke the warmth and privacy of individual homes?
Mathew: Typical condominium projects utilize a shared elevator bank and a shared ‘double loaded corridor’ to access the front door to one’s Residence. This makes the arrival experience highly exposed, rather than private, and always starts with a walk down a dim corridor. Unless Residences are on the end of the corner of the building, views are limited to one direction.
Pendry Residences is a quantum leap beyond this paradigm. Private elevators deliver residents and guests directly into their units from either the building lobby/entry garden or the underground parking garage. One arrives directly into their private foyer within their home. As there is no corridor cutting the building in half, even the units in the middle of the floor plate are afforded windows and terraces facing two opposing directions (east and west) allowing an intimate connection with the daylight as the day passes, the experience of both dawn and dusk, views in both directions and cross ventilation that allows the prevailing cool western Angeleno ocean breeze to flow through the units.
The tiered design of the Residences is truly a masterstroke. Can you share how this design not only offers these breathtaking views of LA but also weaves in a sense of community and privacy?
Mathew: The tiered design allows the Residences above to have views over the Residences below. Like stadium seating in a theater, this preserves privacy while enhancing views for all.
How did you ensure a harmonious yet distinct relationship between the Residences’ architecture and the adjacent Pendry Hotel?
Mathew: The Pendry Hotel building and Pendry Residences building were designed to be distinct yet in harmony with one another. The Hotel is a more taught building — its upper floors are all glass and metal panels while the residences employ a premium plaster intermixed with glass and metal panels, (a very popular palette for homes in the Hollywood Hills. The harmonious relationship between the two buildings can be felt at the motor court where the hotel’s rusticated base combines with the lush landscaping at the checkerboard tile extending out of the hotel lobby and across to the residential lobby. Views back and forth between the two buildings contribute to the dynamic relationship.
With its prime location near Sunset Boulevard, how did the vibrant energy of the area shape the Residences’ design?
Mathew: The Pendry Hotel’s proximity to Sunset Boulevard greatly influenced its design. The dynamic flow of its LED-faced ‘ribbon’ and 8-story tall integrated LED billboard are inspired by and contribute to the endless flow of lights and sound along the strip. That highly social, highly public face exists in stark contrast to the entry to the motor court some 30’ below the strip and the immediate feeling of privacy and seclusion upon arrival to the property.
Interested in Ownership? Schedule a private showing today and make the legendary architecture and lifestyle of Pendry Residences West Hollywood yours.
Photographed by Jonny Marlow
