Alexandra Young's Craftsman-style bungalow in Oakland testifies to the wisdom of patiently accumulating a collection over many years. Her house is a personal museum of curios, mostly handcrafted, made in America, or heirlooms.
Every inch of this was designed and coordinated with my steel fabricator, wood tread craftsman and framing crew. Raw blackened steel was used as an industrial, but clean modern element.
Lisa Gray and Alan Organschi, the married couple behind Gray Organschi Architecture, designed this 1,100-square-foot guest cottage for Suzanne and Brooks Kelley in Guilford Connecticut.
In keeping with the home's seasonal purpose, Gane's layout privileges outdoor space. The transition from inside to out is demarcated by a switch from Douglas fir to ipe wood.
Completed in 2013, the roughly 1,500-square-foot cabin provides an open living area framed by white trusses and concrete floors. The dining table was acquired by the owner from a local inn, and is surrounded by the Eames molded plastic Eiffel side chairs from Design Within Reach. The kitchen features a Grohe faucet, a wood bowl from a shop in Harbert, and an Ikea vase.
The home is clad in galvalume, a low-maintenance, zinc-coated metal, to make upkeep easier. Prefabricated, 10- to 12-inch-thick panels in the roof provide insulation, and the low walls are packed with limestone.
The kitchen is tucked away behind one of the cedar volumes, adjacent to the porch.
The porch off the kitchen helps the family connect with its surroundings.
An orange front door add a bold splash of color to the otherwise monochromatic exterior.
The dining room is accessible through custom timber and glass sliding doors. Thanks to a glass-to-glass joint in the corner, the extension appears to be supported by the glass itself. The elegantly slim structural column, which has been set back from the corner, only enhances this feeling of weightlessness.
The modest bedroom looks towards the yard and part of the owner’s garden. The table, by Jayson Home, holds a vintage lamp and is flanked by a Spring Lounge chair by Cappellini.
A new kitchen in the old part of the building contrasts sleek dark wood millwork with the original vaulted ceilings, which Gargan and Wagner scrubbed and sanded themselves to reveal the old-growth redwood.