This bijou Sonoma County house is in sync with the landscape
An open and contextual Sonoma County house, Leit House is designed by San Francisco’s Schwartz and Architecture
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

To say that this Sonoma County house draws heavily on its context would be an understatement. Designed by San Francisco-based studio Schwartz and Architecture, led by founder Neal Schwartz, the home may be small in size, but is big in personality. Created for a private client in dark hues and low lines, it blends nods to the natural landscape, hints of modernist and minimalist architecture and supreme, 21st-century functionality. Leit House, as the dwelling is titled, was conceived to express its surroundings in architectural form.
Leit House: a bijou Sonoma County house
In designing Leit House, Schwartz and his team studied the local topography, to make sure the new house sits in harmony with its setting. In this, colour was critical. ‘Millions of years ago, the volcanoes of Sonoma Valley, California, spewed hot magma across the landscape. As the lava quickly cooled, the eruption’s gases became trapped, forming porous cavities instead of crystallising into dense stone,’ the team writes. ‘These blackened rocks – rhyolite, basalt, andesite, and pumice – still dot the valley landscape today, surprising in their lightness despite all appearances.’
The house, at less than 80 sq m, is certainly boutique, in the context of its genre in the country, but clever layout and openings ensure it makes up for its bijou size in smart design solutions. Simplicity is the name of the game, with the home internally composed of a long service core, and a single, open, multifunction living space. Clean surfaces and slim volumes underline a feeling of lightness and an uncluttered approach – despite the blackened volcanic rock references in its sculptural overall form.
Charred oak cladding hints at the fires that have devastated the region in the recent past. ‘[It] remains a symbol of this resilient landscape,’ the architects write, referring to the blackened Shou Sugi Ban siding of the home.
At the same time, the wide openings that instantly take in the Californian landscape, are balanced by large roof overhangs that protect from the hot sun and navigate any climate challenges. The home's restricted material palette also works towards that, allowing the views of nature and the experience of being in the wild to take centre stage.
saasf.com (opens in new tab)
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).
-
Masa Gallery launches inaugural Mexico City space with new solo show
Brian Thoreen and Mario García Torres are unveiling solo shows at Masa Gallery’s permanent new home in the heart of Mexico City
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Boucheron rethinks a royal brooch for high jewellery rich in regal references
The new high jewellery collection from Boucheron, ‘Histoire de Style, Like a Queen’, is inspired by Princess Elizabeth’s 18th birthday gift
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Ma Yansong on global architecture and MAD’s year ahead
We talk to MAD’s Ma Yansong about his thriving studio, global architecture and the year ahead
By Magali Robathan • Published
-
Home and art gallery Maison Colbert is a London transformation story
Maison Colbert by Chris Dyson Architects reimagines a row of London houses into a single home and artist's gallery in the East End
By Marwa El Mubark • Published
-
This slim Condesa house in Mexico City blends rawness and nature
Casa Parras, a Condesa house in Mexico City, is the brainchild of two studios – Alberto Kalach’s TAX and Emilio A Cohen's Tow Va Bow
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; check back soon for new additions to our list
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Mumbai apartment by Rajiv Saini is the perfect Malabar Hill bolthole
A Mumbai apartment designed by Rajiv Saini blends indoors and outdoors at the top of a Malabar Hill block
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Jackson Hole retreat is conceived as ‘a geologic remnant in the landscape’
ShineMaker Residence is a Jackson Hole retreat tuned to perfection by its authors, CLB Architects and HSH Interiors
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
A pair of Costa Rican retreats brings a refined aesthetic to a spectacular site
Formafatal designs a pair of Costa Rican retreats; two minimalist villas for a maximalist plot in the heart of the jungle
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Contemporary bridge design connecting worlds
The world’s most extraordinary bridge design, showcasing the finest blend of architecture and engineering, from Italy to the US and the UK. Cross these bridges when you come to them!
By Ellie Stathaki • Published
-
Hosono House is an urban retreat in the heart of San Francisco
Hosono House by Ryan Leidner Architecture blends minimalism, nature and an awkward plot to craft a modern urban retreat in the middle of San Francisco
By Ellie Stathaki • Published