Bright Stucco Homes

Floor-to-celing glass overlooks a deck and the garden beyond. The facade is a combination of light-gray stucco and cement panels.

“Using white allowed me to lighten up small interior spaces and at the same time respect the original colors of the carpentry and stucco work,” Rocha says. East-facing windows also catch the warm morning sun and minimize the need for artificial lighting.

Pereira’s clients asked him to create a unique “work of art” under no budget constraints or deadline. Given their openness, he was able to play with the structure’s geometry, removing the terra cotta roof and carving out recesses for decks. White stucco clads sheltering walls, while silver wood slats line openings like doors, windows, and terraces.

The central oak tree sprouts out of the rear deck. The atrium’s array of windows draw the eye in the tree’s direction. The wood cladding of the single-story wings provide a pleasant contrast with the central volume’s stucco finish.

Architect Sean Lockyer designed a 5,760-square-foot concrete, stucco, and ipe home for a couple and their three children in the Southern California desert town of Indian Wells. The residents selected the home’s furnishings, including the Royal Botania chaise lounges.

2,200 square feet of outdoor space wraps the home, and nearly every room is accessibly by terrace.

The home’s white stucco walls and chestnut-hued timber offer a modern contrast to its filigree railing and ornamentation.

Dawn Farmer sits on the bed in the master bedroom. The white leather bed was designed by Pierre Kozely and manufactured by Della Robbia. The view carries through the master bathroom to the yard on the other side of the house.

While the proportions of the old brownstone’s facade remain congruous with others on its street, the stone has been replaced with stucco over foam. When knocked, it sounds entirely hollow.