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Kelly Kai (left) and Catalina Monsalve (right) relax in the Morongo Valley home they renovated together.

The cactus sculpture is a vintage prop sourced from Jonathan Pessin. The pendant is a hand-painted rice paper lantern from WonderValley. The coffee table is handcrafted from solid cherry wood and is vintage from Vintage on Point in Los Angeles.

Architects Nicolás Tovo and Teresa Sarmiento designed their glass-encased vacation home for a site in Patagonia, a two-hour flight from their studio in Buenos Aires. Nicolás calls it “a magical enclave” overlooking Nahuel Huapi Lake. “It’s a panoramic viewpoint where we can watch what happens,” adds Teresa.

The bathroom's green tiles are one of the few pops of color in the home.

The home has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and each space complements one another.

The clients have a large collection of indoor plants, and 4 S Architecture designed a scheme with plenty of spots to display plants, from the deep windowsills to the semi-recessed extractor above the island that features an integrated shelf. “We had originally specified a fully flush extractor system, but they are very expensive,” says architect, Julia Hamson. “We went for one that is semi-recessed, so was cost effective but still has less visual impact than a dropped extractor.”

The outdoor dining area is connected to the new kitchen through a fine frame double glazed sliding door by Sieger Systems. This was one of the more expensive features of the renovation—the doors and triple-glazed windows throughout cost just over $27K in total—but was essential to achieve the connection the client was looking for. The slatted screen was another important feature. “It creates a backdrop for the dining area that makes the terrace feel more like an outdoor room that is separate from the rest of the garden,” explains architect Julia Hamson.

The new kitchen features green kit kat tiles, a terrazzo-effect rubber floor, white cabinetry, and cherry wood veneered cabinets. The client originally wanted teak cabinets, but 4 S Architecture recommended using cherry wood instead as it is more sustainable but has the same warm tones as teak. “We couldn’t get behind teak as a product so we used FSC certified European cherry that has less air miles than American cherry,” explains architect Julia Hamson. “The client was really pleased with the result.”

A vestibule attached to the front of the house updates the style and creates a transition to the street and front garden.

The terrazzo floors of the new kitchen and the tall skylit ceilings create a feeling of openness and brightness.

The old railing was preserved and reinstalled. Neufeld also smoothed out the layout upstairs by pushing the bathroom back and ceding space to circulation. The skylights were existing.

Warm white oak shelving lines the hallway of the suite and three steps connects it to the bedroom in the addition, as the site is sloped from front to back.

Neufeld’s favorite detail? “The skylight has this angled side. It's sloped. That means that whenever you're inside the space and you look up, you can never see the thickness of that face.” This affects the play of light and overall experience of being in the room. “It gives a kind of [material] lightness to the space,” says Neufeld. “It also brings in some mystery as well.”

The backsplash is covered in Clé Tile, and the counters are Carrara marble.

A new kitchen now occupies the parlor floor, thanks to the two-story addition.

Both the cabinets and wall panelling are done in birch plywood.