Today's feature home in the LA Times Home & Garden section is of a town home in Santa Monica from architect Jesse Bornstein. The key point of this home is the use of a "split-plane" design that "...uses half-flights of stairs to keep the house free-flowing yet divided into distinct rooms. The result embodies what so many Southern Californians seek: more living space without the McMansion effect;..." More images after the jump...

The reason for the "split-plane" solution was because the home was on a sloping lot. The half flights of stairs separate the three levels: the main living and dining areas, the children's bedrooms and family room, and the master suite and sitting room. They also used lots of translucent glass pocket doors, which add privacy when needed, but can are usually left open to keep the visual flow and the natural light in when not in use.

Read more about the house and check out the slideshow for more pics here.

[ images by Mark Boster for LA Times ]