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Italian terrazzo distinguishes the conservatory-cum-kitchen from the house's original footprint, which Hale floored in white oak.

This renovation by Benjamin Hale Architects presents “a template for bringing Cardiff houses into the 21st century.”

Additional windows and open shelving help Suita House in Osaka feel airy and modern.

The living room in the "Baller Jawn." The living room console is from Leeward, and the light fixture is from Noevara. The sling chairs are by Noevara in collaboration with True Hand, and the framed artwork is from Megan Biddle.

Board-formed concrete retaining walls double as ramps from the deck to the garden’s highest point.

A maple tree grows through an ipe deck in this garden that Mary Barensfeld designed for a family in Berkeley, California. A reflecting pool separates it from a granite patio, which is furnished with a Petal dining table by Richard Schultz and chairs by Mario Bellini. The 1,150-square-foot garden serves as an elegant transition from the couple’s 1964 Japanese-style town house to a small, elevated terrace with views of San Francisco Bay. Filigreed Cor-Ten steel fence screens—perforated with a water-jet cutter to cast dappled shadows on a bench and the ground below—and zigzagging board-formed concrete retaining walls are examples.

A small terrace outfitted with an H55 easy chair by Björn Hultén offers a view of the San Francisco Bay.

Another corner of the yard features a dining area with built-in seating.

The basement level contains a half bathroom and a flexible space that could be used as a fourth bedroom or bonus living area. A door along one side provides direct access to the exterior.

The back deck features an outdoor shower designed by Scott. Made of stainless steel and brass components, it uses a garden watering nozzle for the shower and foot-wash heads.

The generous rooftop patio has an original fireplace and a vaulted pergola.

“It's the first home that we've ever had where we wake up in the morning and we open our eyes and every aspect is a true extension of our ideas and our family,” says Amber. “It feels so good to resonate with our space on every level. Every day we walk downstairs and the light is streaming in and we've got that cute little fireplace nook. And we're in the Canyon with the little birds jumping around. We are so grateful to be living in a space that feels like us.”

A skylight brings more light into the room.

The two bedrooms on the ground floor were resized to be smaller in order to prioritize the living spaces. This playroom is outfitted with a Floyd couch and shelf, and a Nordic Knots rug.

In this seating nook on the patio, a Kalon Divan Twin bed sits under a Hoist Pendant from Rich Brilliant Willing.

To extend the living room view, the architects used corner glass, eliminating the need to use a jamb or corner post that would have interrupted the landscape.

The home is articulated along the ridge to command the highest point on the property, providing the clients with sweeping views across the rolling farmland.