This article is part of our Design special section about innovative surfaces in architecture, interiors and products.
Lucía Cano and José Selgas are architects who have no fear of color. Founders of the studio SelgasCano in Madrid, they designed a conference center in Cartagena, Spain, that looks like a translucent organ glowing orange from within as if it were coursing with alien blood. Their Serpentine Pavilion — one of the famed temporary experimental structures displayed in London each summer — was a sprawling, tentacled cocoon with misty rainbow bands.
A decade ago, the couple took their head-snapping palettes and structural whimsy to Los Angeles, where they built a co-working space in Hollywood called Second Home, with dozens of free-standing, canary-yellow-capped pods surrounded by greenery.
“We love how diverse and welcoming the city is,” said Mr. Selgas, who is 58. “There are few natives, but everyone is a local.”
Their latest Los Angeles project makes them locals, too. They recently completed their own residence in Mount Washington, a neighborhood in the hills northeast of downtown.
Constructed on a narrow, steep lot, the three-story house overlooks the San Fernando Valley with views of the Echo Park Hills, Griffith Park, Hollywood and the river running through Los Angeles State Park.
