cool houses

The home has a strong connection with the outdoors. The pool is aligned with the office space on the upper floor, and the doors open to provide access. The master bedroom hovers over the edge of the concrete podium.

Huge header beams and thickened walls allow for a generous opening between the living room and deck, with doors that recess into the wall cavity and a seamless meeting between the indoor floor and the exterior decking.

At the Mill Valley home designed by architect Chris Deam for residents Jack and Ellen Corrigan, the view begins from the top. Sun studies of the steeply sloped site informed the choice for a standing-seam metal, diagonal ridge roof, which Chris refers to as the home’s “fifth facade”.

A high band of windows on the east side of the home lets light in, while a simple wood overhang shades an outdoor dining area on the terrace with mountain views. "On clear days, it feels like you can see across the high plains to Kansas," says Hirsh. Photo by Ron Johnson.

Upon entering the home, a central gathering of clerestory windows immediately focuses the view. Architects Bridgett Shank and Megan Carter refer to this architectural feature as a ‘light monitor.’

To further the home's indoor/outdoor connection, the architects created an expansive shaded terrace at the rear of the property, which is juxtaposed with the backyard pool.

Wild Lilac is set on the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, far removed from the glitz of Los Angeles. LaHabra Santa Barbara Mission Finish stucco was used for the exterior to protect the home from strong sun.

WDA demolished a 1950s tract home to built a brand new, two-story, 4,898-square-foot oasis with five bedrooms and four-and-a-half-baths. Topping off this Silicon Valley home is an asymmetrical, Le Corbusier-style butterfly roof that gives the home its distinctive form while creating soaring spaces on the second floor.

Klopf Architecture's modest 72-square-foot addition at the front of the home blends in with the original structure while giving the owners a greater sense of openness in the master and hall bathrooms. Inside, the re-imagined great room now features dining space.

A wall covered in graphite-colored Ann Sacks tile runs from the kitchen out to the covered porch. Similarly, the sheetrock ceiling and the concrete flooring are extended from inside to outside—a cost-saving measure that provides visual continuity. The Hot Mesh outdoor dining chairs are by Blu Dot.

The young and busy family (the couple have twin teenage girls and a toddler) also runs their equine business from the property’s stables.

To keep energy use naturally low, the living spaces are oriented towards the north while deep eaves and walls with R-25 insulation mitigate solar gain. Large windows let in cooling cross breezes and include built-in, operable shading devices.

Suzanne and Brooks Kelley at the back of their 1,100-square-foot guest cottage.

"Exterior materials include black anodized-aluminum windows, stained western red cedar, and pre-painted metal siding," Parish says. "These materials complement the new modern volume of the house, while also nodding to the existing character of the neighborhood."

Project Name: Dawnsknoll