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Collection by chadress

COURTYARD GARDEN

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An aerial view of Tongling Recluse.
An aerial view of Tongling Recluse.
A copper entrance at the back of the house.
A copper entrance at the back of the house.
The bay on the west side of the home contains a bedroom.
The bay on the west side of the home contains a bedroom.
The middle section of an old wall creates a courtyard where the owner can stargaze at night.
The middle section of an old wall creates a courtyard where the owner can stargaze at night.
“We used a sweeping curvature that rises to create an imaginary space detached from the original projection. Because of the limitation of the original height of the old house, and its badly damaged roof, we added two new floors to the original building,” says Zhuang.
“We used a sweeping curvature that rises to create an imaginary space detached from the original projection. Because of the limitation of the original height of the old house, and its badly damaged roof, we added two new floors to the original building,” says Zhuang.
The house sits well within its rocky, forested landscape.
The house sits well within its rocky, forested landscape.
Tongling Recluse looks out upon pristine mountain vistas.
Tongling Recluse looks out upon pristine mountain vistas.
The idea for a new 1,722-square-foot house was born when the home's owner spoke to Ziyu Zhuang of RSAA: "Look at the tallest tree that survived in our village. It’s beautiful. It should be seen in this house after it's been rebuilt." And so the design of the home, named Tongling Recluse, evolved around preserving the tree and elements from the old ruins.
The idea for a new 1,722-square-foot house was born when the home's owner spoke to Ziyu Zhuang of RSAA: "Look at the tallest tree that survived in our village. It’s beautiful. It should be seen in this house after it's been rebuilt." And so the design of the home, named Tongling Recluse, evolved around preserving the tree and elements from the old ruins.
Designed by Boston-based architect Sebastian Mariscal, this house, which celebrates the best of Californian indoor-outdoor living, was designed to frame views of the trees and the surrounding landscape.
Designed by Boston-based architect Sebastian Mariscal, this house, which celebrates the best of Californian indoor-outdoor living, was designed to frame views of the trees and the surrounding landscape.
The knotty cedar cladding from Crenshaw Lumber was pretreated with an ebony stain from Timber Pro UV—twice on both sides—prior to being brought to the site, where it was left for eight weeks so that it could adjust to the moist seaside air before installation. “Cedar siding swells or shrinks when it gains or loses moisture while it reaches equilibrium with the content of the surrounding air,” says Michael. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.
The knotty cedar cladding from Crenshaw Lumber was pretreated with an ebony stain from Timber Pro UV—twice on both sides—prior to being brought to the site, where it was left for eight weeks so that it could adjust to the moist seaside air before installation. “Cedar siding swells or shrinks when it gains or loses moisture while it reaches equilibrium with the content of the surrounding air,” says Michael. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.