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SHED rebuilt the deck to have only two support posts, and an integrated planter faced with COR-TEN steel to tie into the front facade.

Kevin and Katie enjoy happy hour on their new covered patio. The plantings were inspired by the garden in Mexico where they got married. During the pandemic, "We were like, I want to go on vacation, but we can't, so let's just make our backyard a vacation,

Frohn glued layers of plywood and linoleum together to fashion the work table

An aerial view of Upper Twin Lake.

After: Fritzroy Terrace First Floor and Roof Plans

Lasala joins her for coffee at the poured-concrete kitchen counter. The stools were designed by Deborah and made by Mendoza. “I’d still love to finish some stuff,” says Deborah, “but I think the house right now feels pretty much as it should be.”

Deborah sits on the concrete staircase at the center of the house. Doubling as an extension of the kitchen, it encases a stove, a refrigerator, and storage space. “These stairs for me are like sculpture that you can use,” says the Venezuelan-born artist. “They’re a cross between art and functionality.”

Most of the furnishings, including the daybed, coffee table, and stools in the living area, were designed by Deborah and built by her handyman and carpenter, Luis Rey Mendoza. Secluded at the house for much of the pandemic, Deborah threw herself into creating items for the interior. “It was my art project,” she says.

A series of “stacked boxes” laid the foundation for this Sea Ranch–inspired home on a narrow site set on two flood zones and filled with protected redwoods.

Floor Plan of 8 Tree 8 by Ana Williamson Architect

The back of the property has a relatively private feel for a downtown location. The living room opens out to the garden through two glazed walls, while the trellis cladding of the mudroom echoes the screens at the front of the home.

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