Floor Plan of Casa Cookie by Kelly Kai, Rancho Morongo
Catarina Monsalve's home in Morongo Valley, California, just outside of Joshua Tree, was built in the 1970s. "It was a cookie cutter house and was literally a blank canvas as it had a total lack of character,
Floor Plan of Tera Haus by Mapa Architects
The house, seen from above, is meant to tread lightly on the land, acting as an immersive yet quiet reatreat.
One continuous hallway goes across the house, from carport to great room to bedrooms. It allows the house to be expanded with an identically-designed twin, simply extending the hallway.
The kitchen island is topped with an extra-thick slab of Caesarstone, giving it a sculptural presence.
Francesca chose an array of native plants for outside the pool, as well as a pair of custom lounges.
The outdoor pool reflects light from the setting sun into the house's great room.
The house's simple white stucco exterior is paired with ribbed natural wood siding, adding variation and shadows.
One continuous hallway goes across the house, from carport to great room to bedrooms. It allows the house to be expanded with an identically-designed twin, simply extending the hallway.
The interiors, by Francesca's Interlude Studio, feature simple maple cabinetry and concrete floors.
The house was conceived as a kind of umbrella, providing shelter for a series of bedrooms and the great room below, as well as an adjacent carport that doubles as covered outdoor space.
Homeowner Francesca Laranga chose this five-acre desert site, about seven minutes outside Yucca Valley, California, after seeing it once.
Sheep! Under the house! With ample space to roam and be free!
The sheep graze in their pasture, which is separated from the rest of the property by the knee-high wall, cleverly hidden in the landscape.
The wall that keeps the sheep in their pasture blends in with its surroundings and doesn’t compromise the beautiful views from the house.
The team cleverly created “little pockets for the family’s dogs to be secure and be safe in,” says Graham. By the fire pit, the team kept natural rocks with moss. A boundary fence was painted black and covered with mesh panels so that leaves could poke through. “We didn't want it to look completely engineered; we still wanted it to look natural and subtle.”
By the pool, a wide range of plants create interesting variation in heights, textures, and shapes. Since Sydney can be prone to bushfires during dry seasons, the pathways and pool fencing were built with non-flammable materials.
“A handful of non-invasive exotics were used, mainly succulent species from the Americas, that tolerate the very hot dry summers but also the heavy rain that we get,” Graham says. The soil is well-drained so that water passes through quickly, ensuring the roots don’t rot.
In the front lawn, a water feature was installed, “which we saw as an opportunity to emulate the cascading creek and downstream river,” says Graham. “It was carved on-site from a boulder that we craned in.” The plants are 90% native to Sydney, including the bed of pink flowers called kangaroo paws.
The moody tiled shower in the primary bathroom is homeowner Tomasz Wagner's favorite spot in the home. "I have yelled to Amy, 'I love this shower!' while I'm in there," he admits.
Caesarstone counters are a classic workhorse in the kitchen. Open shelving provides storage and display for pieces picked up around the world.
When it came to the studio, homeowner Amy Tran had a vision of a small cabin inside a larger space. Working that into a reality, &Daughters studio designed a raised, built-in structure for Amy and Tomasz's workspace. A built-in cat litter area is noticeable only for its small, square entrance.
The original bathroom was spartan and industrial, with little more than a cheap shower, sink, and toilet. Hanna and Sims updated it for a clean, modern look.
A glass-enclosed module at the end of the bank of kitchen cabinets gives Tomasz and Amy space to display souvenirs from their international travels.
In a small space with two cats, litter box solutions were top of mind. Hanna and Sims created an unobtrusive understair solution for Gus and Baloo.
The loft get lots of natural daylight through three rows of windows. The stairway to the mezzanine originally had open treads, but Sims and Hanna closed them off and utilized the area underneath for storage. A new wooden dowel handrail complements the original pine floors.
In the primary bedroom, pink upholstered wall panels dampen sounds and soften the space.
A plaster wall and tan ceramic floor tile in the primary bathroom help lighten the space while adding texture. The designers kept the original corrugated metal ceiling, opting to paint it white.
The new primary bathroom includes dramatic silver soapstone countertops and a wall finished in dark glass tile.
The project was designed all at once, but construction took place over two phases in order to accommodate the birth of the couple’s son, Leo.
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