San Francisco is having a moment, from its thriving tech industry to leading cultural organisations – such as the SFMOMA – there’s no doubt this West Coast American city is flourishing. But even if you want to escape the big city, this part of California has plenty to offer; as a couple working in the tech industry soon discovered when they sought to create their dream countryside home.
Local architect Malcolm Davis was tasked with creating a ‘home away from home', for the pair, ‘a recharging point where they can get away from their busy professional lives and reconnect with each other and themselves,' he says. They were after something in the style of the 1960s utopian Sea Ranch community of Sonoma County, but with a modern twist that would offer more light, more open-plan space and practical, durable materials.
Davis composed a structure that is pragmatic, rooted in its context and has modernity at its heart. His design ticked all the boxes, both in terms of the retreat's layout and looks, and its relationship to context. ‘The house is sited between Highway One and and a rocky outcrop, there are several boulders on the property. The form was dictated by the decision to preserve trees and the rock formations, while providing shelter for outdoor living and zoning the house between public and private living spaces – all accessing views', he says.
The plot’s ocean views were a key driver in the composition’s design.
The striking views of the area's rocky outcrop, ocean and trees were a key driver in the project and Davis worked on carefully positioning openings that maintain strong visual connections between inside and outside everywhere in the house. This way, the relatively compact 200 sq m, two-bedroom home feels bright, airy and generous, despite key challenges such as the fairly compact size and the awkward sloped plot.
Inside, keeping a strict material palette and working with simple concrete, metal and wood, the architect focused on streamlining the detailing to achieve the best possible results. ‘We had an angled building with paneled walls that needed to have pre-manufactured window and door systems installed', recalls Davis. ‘We worked with an exceptional contractor and issued detailed drawings to achieve the look. The angled portion of the building is offset and the walls padded so the line and gutters at the corner angle is crisp and clean. We moved and re-sized doors to work with the paneling of the plywood walls, collaborating with the contractor carefully on doors and windows to align the head heights and corner details, which helps achieve the clean modern look.' Beautifully crafted cabinetry and finishes throughout complete the interior.
Matching this no-nonsense approach, the house's exterior is immaculately clad in wood and references local Californian barn-like structures in an elegant, contemporary homage. Bridging a Scandinavian minimalist aesthetic, with industrial details, exposed, natural materials and a strong sense of place, this house offers the perfect West Coast getaway.
The design is inspired by California’s vernacular, barn-like structures.
Inside, the architect chose a simple material palette, consisting of elements like concrete flooring and plywood walls.
Immaculate detailing and clever cabinetry make for a streamlined, timber-clad interior.
The house offers amazing ocean and forest views, which the architect made sure to make the most of through the smart placing of openings.
The strategically positioned windows also capture solar gain.
The understated, industrial aesthetic also has its roots in Scandinavian design.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of Malcolm Davis Architecture
-
Curvilinear futurism meets subtropical beaches at Not A Hotel’s ZHA-designed Okinawa retreatZaha Hadid Architects has revealed the design for the first property in Not A Hotel’s futuristic new Vertex collection, coming soon to southern Japan
-
Gorden Wagener leaves the helm of Mercedes-Benz design after 28 years with the companyThe German designer is stepping down from the role of chief design officer at Mercedes-Benz. We look back at his influence and impact on the world of automotive and luxury design
-
These Christmas cards sent by 20th-century architects tell their own storiesHandcrafted holiday greetings reveal the personal side of architecture and design legends such as Charles and Ray Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
-
Step inside this resilient, river-facing cabin for a life with ‘less stuff’A tough little cabin designed by architects Wittman Estes, with a big view of the Pacific Northwest's Wenatchee River, is the perfect cosy retreat
-
Remembering Robert A.M. Stern, an architect who discovered possibility in the pastIt's easy to dismiss the late architect as a traditionalist. But Stern was, in fact, a design rebel whose buildings were as distinctly grand and buttoned-up as his chalk-striped suits
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
-
The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
-
Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi designed a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead will be opened to the public for the first timeThe home, a defining example of the architect’s vision for American design, has been acquired by the Mississippi Museum of Art, which will open it to the public, giving visitors the chance to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius firsthand
-
Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume
-
This ethereal Miami residence sprouted out of a wild, jungle-like gardenA Miami couple tapped local firm Brillhart Architecture to design them a house that merged Florida vernacular, Paul Rudolph and 'too many plants to count’
