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Recently retired and ready to downsize, Paul and Melonie Brophy found a lot in Palo Alto that gave them the chance to start fresh. Their glass, concrete, and wood house, designed by Feldman Architecture, seems to float above a landscape by Bernard Trainor. Of the board-formed concrete wall, architect Taisuke Ikegami says, "It connects the building to the ground plane while allowing the house to be a landscape element."

Before: Rossi removed the outdoor kitchen.

A Roman Clay covered accent wall behind the bed maintains the understated texture Rossi instilled throughout the home, and the new salvaged doors open to the front patio.

Rossi did not carry the dividing wall between the bedroom and living room all the way up to the ceiling, so as not to break up the treatment up there, instead designing the wall as a custom storage and display unit.

An outdoor shower is right off the kitchen, next to a surfboard made by Kurtis Woodin. The fiberglass and wood windows and doors are from Marvin.

"I often choose finishes that allow the natural texture to show through, and finishes that emphasize the cathedrals and burls of the graining,

"We have six backyard chickens: Sesame, Dumpling, Cutlet, Jerk, Biscuit, and Travis — a rescue hen that came with the unlikely name,

A Breville espresso machine gets the couple ready to hit the waves in the morning. All of the artwork was shot by Carolla.

Easy peasy: there are a ton of simple ways to make a positive impact on Mother Earth without drastically altering your daily routine.

A soaking tub with a rain shower head provides a sense of luxury in the bathroom, where a concrete wall, flooring, and vanity counter offset a white oak vanity and more Douglas fir paneling. "Glass beads were added to the concrete before it was poured," Kevin tells us. "This lightens the weight of the concrete by 37% and adds R-value."

A short hall connects the kitchen to the bathroom and holds integrated shelving, a wardrobe, and an electrical box. The open stair treads leading up to the sleeping loft save on space and keep sight lines open.

Maneuverable kitchen-sink sprayers are pretty stan- dard these days, but this handleless fixture is turned on by tapping a simple but- ton. A discreet dial modi- fies the temperature.

Apron-front sinks add some character—and bulk—to the kitchen, but Blanco’s new Vintera model adapts the concept for compact city living. The sleek, slimmer basin is offered in Silgranit, an easy-to-clean proprietary material, in several on-trend hues.

Is it a toilet or a work of art? Okay, it’s definitely a toilet, but Duravit’s D-Neo is worth hanging on your wall. Its sleek form, by Belgian designer Bertrand Lejoly, is not only easy to look at but easy to clean, too, thanks to its rimless bowl, which minimizes the number of crevices for germs to hide in.

Checkerboard tiles, marble surfaces, and brass fixtures reappear in the guesthouse bath.

The primary bath—with sumptuous marble surfaces and dark wooden floors—includes a large, walk-in shower and freestanding tub.

The primary suite with a sumptuous en-suite bathroom and its own office/writing room and private sun deck.

“Natural light pours through custom steel kitchen doors which open to a newly constructed pool and relaxing garden oasis,” says the listing agent.