Razor House, La Jolla 

A Timeless Modernist Masterpiece
Few residences are so groundbreaking in design that they need a name to convey their architectural significance. The Razor House is one of these rare and celebrated masterpieces. Designed by one of Architectural Digest’s Top 100 designers, Wallace E. Cunningham, the modernist house in La Jolla was named after Razor Point - fitting for a property that pays homage to a stunning yet treacherous landscape where majestic cliffs meet the infinity of the ocean.
The Design
It takes a daring visionary to take a modestly sized, steep oceanfront 33,541 square-foot lot and create a masterpiece nestled sensitively into the hillside. Following the Wrightian tradition of organic architecture, Wallace E. Cunningham drew inspiration from the challenging terrain, imagining a dynamic residence spread across the land that takes advantage of its position amid deep canyon, golden sandstone and jagged bluff leading into vast views of the Pacific. Cunningham designed a gallery of white concrete, stainless steel and glass in a cantilevered design, offering some of the most hypnotic panoramas of the Pacific ever seen. Walled in by sheets of glass, the house is so transparent that you feel as if you are suspended in air, completely surrounded by water.
When The Razor House was completed in 2007, the property was widely regarded as an architectural marvel. The cinematic nature of its design has made it a highly sought-after filming location, and has already been featured in TV commercials for Calvin Klein and Visa.
The Views
Sunk deep into the hillside, the property allows for panoramic views from the very moment one enters the privacy gates. The procession from the driveway to the front entrance provides an almost complete view of the ocean-facing side of the house. An infinity-edge pool lies between the carport and the front entrance, further blurring the lines between ocean and home. A wide lawn serves as a visual courtyard to the house, which curves and angles around the lawn and patio. Just then, you catch a glimpse of a hawk and a pair of paragliders from Torrey Pines Gliderport hovering in the sky above you. What other seaside treasures lie ahead at The Razor House?
The Interiors
Inside, nature passes through the 10,653 square-foot main house in seamless harmony. Floor to ceiling frameless glass has been generously used throughout, allowing ocean views from almost every living space.
Inside, nature passes through the 10,653 square-foot main house in seamless harmony. Floor to ceiling frameless glass has been generously used throughout, allowing ocean views from almost every living space.
The entertaining spaces have been carefully arranged to take full advantage of the views and maximize the indoor/outdoor connection, while offering world-class amenities. A circular living room - set in a glass drum - blurs the boundaries between indoors and out, as structural walls of glass provide the only dividing line between courtyard, bluff and ocean. A family room provides three wine cabinets, each with a capacity of 78 bottles and custom Shagreen liquor cabinet and bar with built-in Sub-Zero refrigerator. Two kitchens blend form and function for those who want the best of both worlds: an entertaining kitchen with a Gaggenau cooktop, Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer and Miele dishwasher, plus a restaurant-grade service kitchen with multiple Gagggenau ovens and induction cooktops, a Miele dishwasher and two Sub-Zero refrigerators and freezer. A short flight of stairs reaches the dining area, where it is not hard to imagine taking meals surrounded by ocean blue. A glass enclosed library offers an intimate space for work or quiet contemplation. There is also state-of-the-art screening room on the lower level with acoustically treated walls and ceiling, tiered floors, a Stewart curved multi‐aspect ratio screen and Christie HD digital projector.
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