South Pasadena deck

This residential deck in South Pasadena, California, overlooks the Pasadena hills. The project creates a modestly sized outdoor living space, set against the house and oriented towards the view.

The decking uses Kebony Clear boards laid on Step-Clip hidden fasteners. This system removes any visible screw from the surface: the board is held by clips inserted into a side groove, producing a continuous, unperforated plane and making individual board replacement straightforward.

Kebony modified wood is a softwood impregnated with a bio-based liquid, a treatment that gives it high durability and dimensional stability with no finish to reapply. In the dry, strongly sunlit climate of the Los Angeles basin it weathers to a silver-grey patina. Design: David Ellien, Full Branch.