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View from rear

The couple added a coat of black paint and cedar siding to give the home a cleaner, more modern look. "The house already had wide and low eaves, providing protection from the sun, and we added new spray-foam insulation, so the black exterior actually does not pose too much of an issue with the desert heat," she says. A new Cor-Ten steel fence blocks the view of the neighbor's roof, but doesn't interfere with the landscape.

Downstairs in the guest quarters, a Murphy bed provides another sleeping spot, and a casual TV room is outfitted with a rustic-yet-modern aesthetic.

“The ceiling plane starts with giant beams as you step up on the front porch, and they run at the same level throughout the axis of the house,” says Lamaster. “As you step down into the home, they accentuate the feeling of moving down the hill. We wanted to create that intimate, low feeling when you walk in.”