From inside, views run in every direction, yet the landscaping provides a natural seclusion. "It's remarkable for the way it's constantly relating back to the hillside," Los Angeles architect Ron Radziner said. "It's the quintessential tree house." Added Linda Dishman, head of the Los Angeles Conservancy: "Inside that house, you feel like you're one with nature." The 2.5-foot-thick laminated beams are made of Douglas fir. The rest of the lumber is redwood. The four bedrooms have doors, but the rest of the home is pure openness, individual spaces defined and quietly segregated by subtle changes in elevation. Described by one critic as "a controlled explosion of space," the Kappe residence has the quality of an atrium ingeniously adapted for work and play.