For this Silicon Valley residence belonging to a couple of mixed heritage, William Duff Architects (WDA) drew elements from their childhood homes in Ireland and India, respectively. In addition to wanting to pay homage to their backgrounds, the clients, described as “avid design connoisseurs,” asked for a sanctuary space for their family of four—where they could unwind from their busy tech careers—that would also be flexible enough to host large gatherings.

“When taking the clients’ wish list into consideration, we all agreed it would be better to start from scratch,” says William Duff, WDA founder and managing principal. “After many discussions with the client, we decided to demo the former home—an unremarkable 1950s tract home—instead of trying to reconfigure it.”

The formulaic abode was demolished to make room for a two-story, 4,898-square-foot oasis with five bedrooms and four-and-a-half-baths. There’s also copious space for entertaining, formal and informal living spaces, an expansive courtyard for an indoor/outdoor connection, a chef’s kitchen and wine cellar, and a media room. Topping it off is an asymmetrical, Le Corbusier-style butterfly roof that gives the home its distinctive form while creating soaring spaces on the second floor.

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The main courtyard design is reminiscent of the wife’s home in India, where the central outdoor space was a gathering area for loved ones. A tree and fire pit on the axis with the main entry, in turn, anchor the courtyard.

Flanking the garden are the entry gallery, family room, and living room, all clad in accordion glass doors. To allow the spaces to flow into each other—and for the courtyard to be a hub of activity—the ipe wood decking was installed at nearly the same level as the adjacent interior floors. Blurring the lines between indoors and outdoors, the H-shaped plan melds the individual spaces into one fluid zone.

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Project Credits:

Architect: William Duff Architects / @wdarch_inc

Interior design consultant: Aubrey Maxwell / Robbie McMillan

Structural Engineer: FTF Engineering / Randy Collins

Geotechnical Engineer: Murray Engineers / John Stillman

Landscape Design: The Garden Route / Richard Radford

Lighting Design: Illuminosa / Alice Prussin

Photography: Matthew Millman Photography