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The open living and dining plan is flooded with natural light. The wicker PK22 lounge chairs are by Poul Kjaerholm for Fritz Hansen. The suspension lamp is by DePadova.

Just inside the living room’s sliding glass door is a Parentesi lamp by Achille Castiglioni, an object Marc has admired since childhood. Below, the pool deck displays a pair of Eos side chairs, lounge chairs, and a square dining table by Matthew Hilton.

In the living room, a Stricto Sensu sofa by Didier Gomez and a Prado daybed by Christian Werner, both from Cinna, join a marble-topped coffee table by Florence Knoll. The red easy chair and ottoman are from the Platner Collection by Knoll, joined by a stool from La Redoute, a Tulip side table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, and a pair of PK22 chairs by Poul Kjærholm for Fritz Hansen. The black Potence wall lamp is by Jean Prouvé while the tiles on the floor and above the fireplace are from Living Ceramics.

The living room retains the home’s original, poured terrazzo floors. There are oversize Fleetwood sliding glass doors on both sides. Most of the original doors have been upgraded to newer, energy-efficient glass, but their size and placement match what was original to the home.

Living room, Maison JJ Joubert

In Sunnyvale, California, architect Ryan Leidner cracked open a 1962 Eichler with a crisp remodel flush with foliage. He replaced the home’s vertical plywood facade with one-inch strips of American red cedar set at two depths. The rhythmic slats conceal a garage door that swings open on a hidden hinge. At the entryway, two massive panes of frosted glass shimmer with light and shadow from the atrium inside. Homeowners Isabelle Olsson and Matthaeus Krenn stand out front.

In one kitchen, the countertops are Corian, while in the other, you’ll find stainless steel. “We changed materials for each to give them a different identity,” says Elsley.

Atop a ridge in the Santa Lucia Preserve, Halls Ridge Knoll guest house takes advantage of passive design opportunities in its temperate climate. Expansive windows provide natural lighting throughout, while a broad overhang shades interiors from the summer sun. Sliding doors and operable windows use the prevailing winds for natural ventilation, and provide expansive views of the surrounding mountain range.

Reilly, pictured here, deleted the original front door in order to create an expanse of uninterrupted wall in the living room. The existing slider is now the main entry point. She clad the exterior with planks marketed as a shou sugi ban product that reads as burned, knotty cedar. A new, corrugated metal roof replaced asphalt shingles.

Glass walls define the living room, which pops with vivid artwork.

Grey describes the patina process for the faucet and shower fixtures: “You get unfinished or un-lacquered brass, and then you boil vinegar and dip them in there. Then I put it in a bag with an egg and let it sit out for a couple of weeks. Then I opened it up, which was pretty disgusting, but it did the trick.”

The home is nestled in a lushly planted landscape with tropical flora and live oaks.

The perfect place to live the simple life.

As if rising up from the hillside, the smooth metal facade adds a sculptural quality to the home.

The two-story addition hosts the master suite and a living area downstairs, and two bedrooms upstairs. It’s constructed of steel, concrete, and glass, to convey a “lightweight” quality that communes with the original mid-century architecture.