A balcony adjoins one of the secondary bedrooms.
The alley entrance is shaded by a cantilevered volume on the second floor. Turf-block pavers reduce runoff.
A concrete block wall (above) separates the entry from the living area, where an Arne Norell Kontiki easy chair joins an Eames lounge chair.
In the kitchen, a glass backsplash is one of many connections to the outdoors. The Hee barstools are by Hay and the Highline pendant light is by Rakumba Lighting Australia.
A Crosswater Teardrop Grande Bathtub is placed on top of Daltile Antico Scuro flooring and illuminated by an AND Lighting Pebble chandelier.
The brass backsplash was a risky experiment carried off by Natalie, who started with unlacquered 4x8 foot sheets, then gave them patina by covering them in vinegar, ketchup, and salt, and leaving them out in the sun. The resulting pattern was aligned as carefully as possible, and the surface sealed. “We just had to essentially cut the topography into a way that felt really great,” says Natalie.
The gap between the back wall of the pavilion and the roof is perfectly sized to capture winter sun and summer shade.
Beyond the dining area is a bonus room featuring French doors that open to the rear deck.
Large windows and sliding doors with maximal operability are placed throughout, including the master bedroom, where expansive lift-and-slide mechanisms line three exterior walls. The room is furnished by a custom mahogany headboard and bed frame by Larry Hepler and a glass Murano lamp by Massimiliano Schiavon.
An attentive sensitivity to site played into nearly every aspect of both the exterior andinterior spaces of the home. Architect Peter Rose collaborated with landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh, who worked to craft and maintain the wild, organic feel of the environs. Will Parry, a local builder, custom-fabricated all of the sustainably harvested Spanish cedar-and-glass windows and skylights throughout. Here, a vertical-swinging window at the end of the entry hallway opens directly to a lush expanse of vegetation.
“We could lift up very easily the walls, the fittings, the shelves, the light fixtures, everything. You couldn’t have made this with wood or even steel.” —Peter Rose, architect
After an unprecedented year of earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires, a bright light has been shed on the benefits of building with concrete.
Custom cabinetry runs from the closet into the bathroom for a unified feel.
The primary bedroom windows frame up-close views of the boulders on the site.
The new foyer is designed after a Japanese Genkan, and ensures the entry is clearly delineated from the rest of the house. The wood of the bottom stair forms the bench for sitting and removing shoes.
The addition was shifted into the trees so that it doesn’t overwhelm the site. That also gives the main living spaces a treehouse-like feel when gazing out from inside.
The main entrance is at the bright orange door. Sogno Design Group worked to preserve the site’s natural characteristics as much as possible, thus the addition “floats” over the landscape in places.
The upstairs master bathroom is teeming with light thanks to its skylight and windows, and looks more luxurious than it is thanks to marble-like ceramic tile and walnut-faced plywood cabinets.
When construction was temporarily delayed, architect and homeowner set to work designing built-in cabinetry for every space, including the living room.
For the backsplash, the homeowner chose ceramic tiles in a honeycomb pattern by Portland-based Clayhaus to compliment the walnut-faced cabinetry.
This “alley” veers then off at a right angle to become an indoor “courtyard” lined with green plants near the back section of the house.
The living area features built-in concrete bench seating.
Indoor plants and rocks create a strong visual connection to the outdoors.
Unlike typical layered buildings which usually take the form of stacked floors of similar size, Hirata’s design uses a layering system to create a complex of tangled spaces where the relationship between the indoors and outdoors are ambiguous and surreal.
The result is a low-rise residential complex with features that correspond to the trunk, branches, and leaves of trees, which served as Hirata's main source of design inspiration.
The simple, clean-lined kitchen and dining area is the heart of the home.
A lounge space looks onto a calming moss garden and provides the perfect zen setting to relax with a cup of tea.
Protected by an overhang, and floating above ground level, this tertiary space is known in traditional homes as the "engawa." To sustain a unified look throughout, the floor and ceiling are clad in ipe wood.
A gently winding set of exposed aggregate concrete pads leads to the Wabi House’s front door. Mariscal sought to “hide the house behind a dense forest front yard.” As the crape myrtles grow in, they will further filter the home’s facade.
Although Wakebayashi is not a professional Noh actor, he performs in front of an audience once or twice a year. For these performances, his preparation goes beyond memorizing lyrics and choreography—he sometimes even visits temples and locations where the story is set. “I need to understand the contents of the Noh play, which is how the main character feels, and the background of the story including history,” says Wakebayashi.
The fourth floor entrance highlights views of the garden—with red and white plum trees, and a three-dimensional Kanze Water pattern carved in the black mirrored granite path.
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