Favorites

Tasked with renovating a 1950s ranch in Northern California, Ogawa Fisher Architects revived an existing Japanese garden at the center of the home as a central organizing element. Low-slung, wide decks (inspired by the Japanese “engawa,” or elevated walkway) and deep roof soffits expand the living spaces, frame views, and blur the boundaries between inside and outside. The garden is the second of three courtyards that orients the various wings of the home from front to back, creating a vast sense of openness while also maintaining privacy from other areas of the house and the street.

Rear exterior at dusk

Oman and his partner Andrej Gregoric had the cupboards, stairs, and bed all custom-made. The interior casework provides storage and adds warmth to the concrete walls.

The walnut cabinets in the kitchen, which update and warm the space, were designed by Nilus de Matran and fabricated by George Slack.

Although there are no doors to truncate the space, the kitchen and guest room close off with translucent fabric panels that filter natural light by day and glow like lanterns at night.

Kitchen and island

In the sleek kitchen, the white Ikea cabinet uppers seem to disappear into the wall, while the bases get a distinctive custom walnut wrapping. Flanking the cabinets are open bookshelves, which provide secondary function as a spacial divider for the children’s play area. A Dornbracht faucet sits on a slab of Vermont Olympian White Danby marble, which is also used for the island and backsplash.

Stacey and Doug prepare food before the kitchen's massive wall of soothing tile from Heath Ceramics.

The kitchen opens to the elements thanks to sliding doors from C.R. Laurence. The anigre in the kitchen is the same employed in the master bedroom.

The refined architectural detailing is finished with natural textures and subtle color shifts, from clay brickwork to rose linen accents, creating a robust yet calming home.

Before: The kitchen had been updated more recently, but was relocated to the upper level.

The kitchen's central island is particularly luminous when sunlight pours down through the skylight.