East Facade

James D. Faubion and William R. Duell soak in the sun and admire the view from the deck, which the anthropologist and playwright plan to use for readings.

The front of the rectilinear house opens up to a 300-square-foot cantilevered porch that is partially shaded from the desert sun by the roof overhang.

The wrap-around deck is a fantastic summer destination, outfitted in finds from Amazon and Target.

“We looked to balance interconnection and independence in the design and developed an architectural strategy that allowed both autonomy and togetherness,” explains Johnson of the approach to multigenerational living.

The home is situated on a steep site and is accessed from a cedar stair that leads to a wraparound deck on the east side of the house. The construction all follows the shape of the cliff. “The vision was to hold to the expansive and unobstructed feeling of the land,” says the owner. “If I were to build something else, I would consider finding a flatter space or building near a field. Sometimes it’s just nice to walk on a flat surface.”

The terraces include a new amphitheater-like space for Jane’s work, inspired by an Instagram picture of her rehearsing a piece with actor friends; a fragment of the original garden design is incorporated into the new construction.

The sunken family room is enlivened by Alvarez-Calderón’s addition of fabrics from Designers Guild and glossy paint.

A view of an outdoor eating area in the garden.

“Metaphorically, the cabin’s exterior is like a cut log,” Lane says. “The black-stained Western red cedar is the bark, and the Douglas fir siding under cover is the exposed wood once the log has been cut.” Beyond the house and native sod gardens, a meadowscape blends into the mature pine forest at the lakefront. “We wanted a woodland garden quality,” landscape architect Soren deNiord says.

Two new structures were also built in the backyard, and connected to the main house via the landscape plan by Lilyvilla Gardens. One is a 485-square-foot guest house, and the other is a 375-square-foot workshop for the owner, who’s a bike builder. They have the same exterior siding as the main house: rough-sawn tongue and groove cedar.

An energy-efficient TPO membrane covers the living room’s zigzag roof.

The family enjoys the outdoor lounge.

The roof deck, anchored by a gas fire pit from Paloform, boasts an incredible view of the water.

A concrete walkway connects the living and dining rooms to the exterior, and concrete forms a built-in bench for lounging by the Solo Stove fire pit.

The custom sliding window screens, which shield from solar gain, were designed by the couple and are a modernized reference to the operable shutters that Denise remembers from her childhood in Austria. They first used the idea on one of their apartment buildings.

A sunken courtyard at the front of the home provides a private lounge space that connects to the dining room.