Indoors/Outdoors

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The house is divided into three sections connected by a series of outdoor galleries. “When I walk from one room to another, I have to go outdoors and feel the weather and nature—rain, cold, and sun,” says Sævik. Instead of emphasizing the expansive panorama of oak, pine, and aspen trees, the house frames select views—a move inspired by Japanese design.

Fields of native grasses connect the main residence, situated at the top of the slope, to the new structures scattered below. A pergola extends from the post-and-beam structure that was maintained during the remodel of the midcentury home.

Entry Landscape

To the architects’ surprise, the original radiant heated floors that were run by a single-zone system were still working throughout the year they lived in the house prior to the renovation. However, since they were more than 60 years old, Jay and Melissa abandoned the old system and installed a new radiant heating system with thermal mass polished concrete floors.

The two wings of the addition are connected by a central “void space.” The glass walls visually draw the garden and greenery into the living space. Both East Coast transplants, the couple wanted to more easily take advantage of favorable gardening conditions in the mild Northern California climate. With this in mind, they used the renovation to bring the outdoors in, as well as encourage easy and direct exterior access for gardening.

Awkwardly shaped and saddled with a run-down garage, the backyard posed a challenge. Since the city wouldn’t allow for the removal of the garage, Wendi and Lukas decided to convert it into additional living space.

There are plenty of passive and sustainable design solutions—both large and small—that can be employed to reduce heat gain and the need to artificially cool a space with air conditioning.

“There are a lot of well-loved, well-used pieces that were destined for this house,” Andrea says of the couple’s furniture collection. They placed a solid alder Homestead table from Whittier Wood Furniture in the office, which also overlooks the pond.

An Almond bathtub by Porcelanosa is accented by a tub filler from Hansgrohe.

“The layout and openings allow ample flow to the exterior, and paths and decks have been developed to ‘flatten’ the sloping site enough to create generous outdoor gathering areas,” Herrin says. “These areas take into account sunlight at different times of day as well as protection from prevailing wind,” he adds. One-by-six-foot ipe planks comprise the decking, and hemlock end grain by the Oregon Lumber Company was installed indoors.

“It didn’t seem like the kind of landscape you wanted to go trudging through with your boots, but one that you wanted to observe with detachment,” architect Allan Shulman says.

In the open living-dining area, a sofa by Antonio Citterio joins a Metropolitan chair and ottoman, all from B&B Italia. A Big Bang fixture from Foscarini hangs above the dining room table, designed by Feldman and surrounded by chairs from Ligne Roset.

Katie and Danny MacNelly met as University of Virginia architecture students and started their own practice, ARCHITECTUREFIRM, along with another former UVA classmate. Together, the couple designed and built their family’s country retreat, a three-volume residence near Virginia’s James River.

With the home’s glass walls pulled open, the patio and fire pit become an extension of the dining room.

A section of the facade—a cross between a shoji screen and a barn door—slides open. Planter boxes contain edible varieties that fuel Mary’s culinary explorations.

The residence reimagines suburban housing by combining both shared and private programs. The design team found inspiration in the composition of traditional ranch houses and farm towers. The result allows for natural ventilation, solar energy generation, natural lighting, and complete immersion into the site.