Cool

Inside, an open-plan layout connects the main living spaces with the 1,000-square-foot food-producing greenhouse. Current crops include: sweet potatoes, tomatoes, figs, micro greens, and pineapple—just to name a few.

From street-view, Vallecitos appears to effortlessly merge into the surrounding landscape. The property is positioned around open views of the Taos Mountain ranges.

Along with the room's 20-foot-high vaulted ceilings, another focal point is the towering stone fireplace sandwiched between warm redwood paneling. A library alcove on the left side of the fireplace provides a cozy corner to rest and relax.

Featuring floor-to-ceiling redwood paneling and arched beams, the living room offers a dramatic room in which to gather. An original interior balcony overlooks the space from the second floor.

Built in 1922, the Arts and Crafts-style residence at 1194 Cragmont Avenue sits high in the north Berkeley hills overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Clad in wooden shingles, the home blissfully occupies its half-acre lot, which features mature redwoods and a calming creek.

Now a good example of the natural lines favored in ’70s aesthetics, Arcturus and the other homes Rick would build in the area were unique at the time. “I freaked out some of the neighbors intially,” he says, “who were not so comfortable with a bunch of, you know, pot-smoking hippies.”

“Once I realized that I could see Arcturus through the skylight, it just made it feel like home, even more so than ever before,” Rick says, of seeing the star the house was named after from the building itself.

The stone archway at the front of the house opens into a kitchen with custom teak countertops and a big gas oven, which sit opposite a sweeping staircase to the second floor.

Arcturus features a number of personal touches, many of which were contributions from people connected to New College, such as a stained-glass mural titled The Discovery of Nuclear Energy, and an enormous stone-and-mortar wall to the left of the front door with a switch plate covered in arrows that point to each line of mortar between the stones, a bit of whimsy that Rick Doblin says gives the view in his house “this sense of possibility.”

“There was no fake this or that, no Formica—it was reassuring elements,” says Rick.

Ikea bed slats line the lofted bed.

The Glowbox was nicknamed for it's abundance of glazing and warm wood interior, painted with natural daylight and indirect night lighting. It functions as both a small detached music studio and guest house addition to a previous craftsman bungalow renovation in the Historic Woodland Heights of Houston. High ceilings with large overhangs allow upward views into surrounding trees with filtered natural light to warm the small urban space. Exposed glulam structural beams allow for continuous clerestory windows while supporting the vaulted roof. Old wormy shiplap was recycled from the original garage to clad the ceiling and shed interior. Built-in storage runs full length down the main interior wall. A space saving ships ladder turns, folds and conceals within the cabinet for greater safety, and provides access the storage loft above. The rich portland concrete floor provides a cooler feel in the humid Houston climate. Large glass doors open to the courtyard and back deck on two sides for entertaining and small music events. A new long storage shed expands the back yard and visually separates parking for added privacy.

The large floating bathtub invites relaxation and serenity.