Brian describes the location as a combination of a retro neighborhood with desert amenities. The home’s backyard opens to a pristine desertscape that is protected under California State Law.
The in-ground pool is placed between the primary bedroom and the casita.
The converted garage feels airy and private despite its 576 square feet. In fact, Brian recently hosted his friends, a family of five, in the casita.
The garage turned casita/pool house features a custom plywood bed, bench, and cabinetry.
Vintage furnishings are scattered throughout the renovation including the casita’s Moroccan rug as well as a sofa and chair covered in linen
The previous owners used the residence as a vacation home. The husband was an avid painter and photographer who used the garage as a dark room, which meant there was already plumbing installed when Brian decided to convert the space into a casita.
A Hans Wagner Rope Chair, West Elm credenza, and Noguchi Akari UF3-DL Standing Lamp round out the primary bedroom.
In the primary bedroom, SchoolHouse Electric Reading Lamps, custom Sisal rugs, and tousled linen bedding create warmth and neutral texture.
An H.D. Buttercup Lounge Chair, George Nelson Bench, and Noguchi 1A Table Lamp sit just off the kitchen.
The revamped kitchen includes custom oak cabinets, quartz countertops and an H.D. Buttercup Lounge Chair as an accent.
Brian pulled out the wall-to-wall carpeting that was installed throughout much of the home to reveal the original concrete floors underneath, which had rampant cracks. He grinded the floors down and sealed them as matte as possible.
Below the sink, a cooler slides out on a plywood board with the help of casters. The whole kitchen was built for $1,000.
I’ve been in places where it didn’t feel like I could try and fail. Here, you can bring over a friend and say, ‘Take a hammer and nail. No one’s around. Give it a go,'
The couple and their friends spent hours clearing brush and felling at-risk oak and madrone trees. “There was no view at all,” Molly says. “You had to duck and peek through thick oak brush just to see that there was anything on the horizon.”
Jeff climbs the hand-built ladder to the sleeping loft. Both the ladder and bench in front of the sofa were made from fallen Pacific madrone trees on the property.
A sleeping area is tucked away underneath the rafters. Large windows brighten the space and provide views of the forested surroundings.
Molly preparing food in the kitchen. A Crane Light by Andrew Neyer hangs over the countertop, which is accompanied by a pair of Nerd stools by Muuto.
To date, the pair and their pals have built a compound complete with sheds, tree decks, a pavilion, a wood-fired hot tub, an outhouse, an outdoor shower, and, now, a redwood cabin where an ever widening network of friends gather for skill-sharing workshops and events.
After renting in San Francisco for a decade, DIY couple Molly Fiffer and Jeff Waldman bought 10 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where the pair and their friends built a cabin compound complete with sheds, tree decks, a pavilion, a wood-fired hot tub, an outhouse, and an outdoor shower. The cabin is made from locally sourced, rough-sawn redwood, which the couple stained with nontoxic Eco Wood Treatment to give the panels an aged appearance and a dark patina.
The couple updated the exterior with Benjamin Moore's Green Black. "It's easier and more complicated to renovate a mobile home,
ArtisTree's cabin towers 25 feet above the stream of water below, and it's anchored by ropes, chains, and cables.
Ethan Schussler built his first tree house at 12 years old. His tree house in Sandpoint, Idaho, sits 30 feet above the ground and can be accessed by an "elevator" consisting of a bicycle that, when pedaled, ascends a pulley system to the top.
Above the built-in daybed is a porthole—a recurring feature in Nelson’s work—that looks out into the surrounding forest.
Floor Plan of Panorama House by Andrew Goodwin Designs
The home is currently being rented out to recoup some building costs, and the owners are considering a permanent move after their daughter leaves for college.
At sunset, the views from the spa deck extend for miles.
Julie also designed this spa deck, a few steps from the main house.
Fleetwood Windows were installed throughout the home, including as a partition between the living room and deck.
"It's easy to forget how cold it can be in the desert at night,
The living room's wall of windows makes it easy to look out onto the desert. Julie wanted to keep the interior design minimal in order to focus on the setting.
Julie bought the sofa at in auction in Stockholm, and loves how it blends into the midcentury modern look and feel of the home.
Julie had the front door custom-made of wood and set on a pivot, so that it would be a textural focal point on either side of its opening.
A walking path connects the guesthouse with the rest of property.
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