Collection by John Wright

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photography by Leonid Furmansky Architectural Photography

Hernandez and Surratt relax in the living room, which is enlivened by the house’s internal topography. A short flight of steps divides the interconnected areas and offers a place to sit. Above is a loft that can be converted to a bedroom.

For Gabriel Ramirez and his partner Sarah Mason Williams, following the Sea Ranch rules—local covenants guide new designs—didn’t mean slipping into Sea Ranch clichés. The architects love Cor-Ten steel, with its ruddy and almost organic surface, and they made it the main exterior material, along with board-formed concrete and ipe wood. The Cor-Ten, which quickly turned an autumnal rust in the sea air, and the concrete, with its grain and crannies, mean the house isn’t a pristine box, Ramirez says. His Neutra house “was very crisp and clean,” he says. “This house is more distressed, more wabi-sabi.”

Bespoke cabinetry is built into the main staircase, offering an abundance of storage space.

“ It’s not spaceship stuff. It’s here now, and it can save you money,” says Jeff.

Fujimori has an affinity for building structures that appear to be perched precariously: His charred cedar-clad Guest House seems to balance on a sliver of a wall.

Casa de Vidro when it was recently completed in 1951. The name translates as the Glass House thanks to the glass walls that wrap around the first floor on three sides. Since this photo was taken, the rainforest has regrown around the home, creating a new dialogue between the architecture and the surrounding landscape.

The bathroom is adjacent to the kitchen in the one-bedroom, one-bath configuration.

The giant shutters can easily be opened and closed by one person.

Oversized pine shutters can be closed to protect the glass facade.

Bookshelves continue upstairs into the lofted sleeping area.

In the lofted sleeping area, a custom-made steel railing is painted black.

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