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The multi-level residence is nearly hidden from street-view thanks to soaring leafy trees surrounding the property.

“We’re always throwing events,” says Paul, so the indoor/outdoor style was a great fit for them.

A small kitchenette comes complete with a cook top and oven. White oak wood flooring is used throughout, as a standard feature.

“Our drive to have a landscaped garden was for the kids to be able to have a space where they could adventure around the place,” says Natalie. “And part of what we enjoy is being able to sit and admire something that’s so beautiful.” They chose hardy Australian native plants to make the garden easy to maintain with minimal water.

Brian and Melissa chose a light color palette—pale wood and white paint—punctuating it with moments of color from art, furniture, and, in the case of the kitchen, dark tile. Ceramic dishes and woven artisan baskets are useful and beautiful.

Recently retired and ready to downsize, Paul and Melonie Brophy found a lot in Palo Alto that gave them the chance to start fresh. Their glass, concrete, and wood house, designed by Feldman Architecture, seems to float above a landscape by Bernard Trainor. Of the board-formed concrete wall, architect Taisuke Ikegami says, "It connects the building to the ground plane while allowing the house to be a landscape element."

A 100-year-old oak shades the front of the house, which is clad in weathering yellow cedar.

Steps lead from the master bedroom balcony to a spacious deck. Situating the deck away from the house gives it the feel of a getaway, says Trainor, who worked on the project with colleague David LeRoy. “We liked the idea of going further into the garden amid plantings for privacy,” adds Trainor. Granite boulders and persimmon, Japanese maple, and oak trees lend what he calls “a California-Japanese feel.”

“He really understood that we wanted inside but outside space,” says one of the homeowners of Casa B, Federica de la Mora. “The house opens completely, so you’re both in the main dining room and outside. We like to have breakfast on terrace, so he made a special place where we have a lot of trees to have dining there. He uses nature as a complement to the house, but he doesn’t overwhelm the nature.”

At the terrace, the team replaced or rebuilt brick and concrete as needed. They also stripped and resealed exterior wood elements and incorporated new native landscaping throughout.

Orca Living frequently integrates wellness features into residential gardens, such as this small timber sauna. The materiality of the sauna complements the timber fence and stairs.

Techo-Bloc’s Aquastorm pavers are designed to allow grass to grow between them, creating a unique play between the softness of grass and the functionality of concrete. They’re also anti-flood and permeable, making them as functional as they are beautiful.

Lead architect, Tom Lenchek, opted for simple forms and materials that direct attention outwards, towards the cabin's natural surroundings.

A Cor-Ten steel planter running along one side is filled with Carex Ice Dance. “The plantings are minimalist, yet rich in color and texture,” says landscape architect H. Keith Wagner. The wood planters on the top level were custom designed by Kelton Woodwork.

The sprawling Californian landscape and the wildness of the surrounding vegetation is perfectly offset by the geometric pattern of the tiles in shades of gray. The main patio is tiled using Techo-Bloc Diamond pavers in contrasting Smooth and Granitex textures, with a border of rectilinear Para slab and Raffinato cap around the pool. The Greyed Nickel color visually unites the variety of shapes to create a refined finish—add comfy chairs and a firepit and you’ve got a dreamy spot to watch the sunset.