Interiors

Exposed wood beams and columns supporting the structure in place of bearing walls, allowing for wide open interiors.

Custom steel corner windows allow the interior to expand into the exterior spaces, making the modest home feel much larger than it actually is.

The concrete aggregate floor runs from the interior out to the patio. The patio chairs are by Chioco Design, and the Ratio cocktail table is by local furniture brand Seer Studio.

The guest bathroom features bright turquoise Arcilla Field tiles by Ann Sacks and brass fixtures and fittings that will develop a patina over time. A skylight above the shower provides natural light and brightens the room.

The home takes the form of two volumes that slide past each other. The front door leads directly to the center of the home, which connects to the both the entrance courtyard and the rear pool area, dissolving the boundaries between interior and exterior space.

In the rear courtyard, Steve spent three days demolishing a rock grotto, which had been installed in the 1970s, with a jackhammer. Its boulders found new life as hardscaping near the pool. “I’m glad we could repurpose those boulders,” Jessy says, “I hate adding to landfill.”

As part of a total upgrade of the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems, the team cleared up much of the equipment that had cluttered the home’s exterior and disrupted its clean lines. Satellite dishes and AC hardware were taken down from the flat roof, exposed copper pipes were pried off the stucco walls, and a utility closet that formerly blocked a clerestory window was carted off. Additionally, a new urethane roof was put in to regulate heat.

The back patio was in a sorry state. The pool was crawling with algae, the concrete pavers were cracked, and most distressing of all, the slender wood posts supporting the roof had been clad in chunky 1980s tile. Jessy and Steve were anxious about what they might find once they were removed. “You never know what’s underneath,” Jessy says. Fortunately, the tiles came off easily and had actually protected the wood from the elements. French windows, added some years ago when the garage was illegally converted into a rental, were also discarded. “They had no business being there,” says Jessy, with a laugh.

“I’ve always been crazy about tile,” says Jessy, which is why she was heartbroken when she found the 1961 powder blue tile in the master bathroom had been scribbled on with permanent marker. “Turn right for cold water. Turn left for hot,” the wall read. The new tile is by Ann Sacks. “We tried to source products that looked appropriate for the period,” Jessy explains.

Jessy and Steve were dismayed to find that the walnut plywood siding in the kitchen and dining area had been painted over. “You can’t strip that out,” says Jessy, an interior designer. “We had to replace it.” When they popped off the moldings at the foot of the counter, they discovered original recessed baseboards, which give the kitchen bar the appearance that it is floating.

Inside, tile flooring was replaced with concrete. The freestanding, kiva-style fireplace was in working condition when the couple bought the house, but the wall of windows behind it was obscured by plantation shutters and plastic treatments. Today, the living room is bathed in sunlight and new dual-pane glazing frames the Santa Rosa Mountains in the distance.

Multiple water features had been added to the property over the years, including a tiered fountain near the driveway that Steve and Jessy discarded. Later, Steve unearthed an original reflecting pool that had been covered up some 50 years earlier. The new owners were charmed by the little rectangular pond and choose to have it repaired with a new spout and tiles. “The funny thing is we spent all this time and effort to get rid of the fountain only to discover an original fountain buried by the entryway,” says Steve, who works as a realtor.

“Everything was in fairly bad repair,” says Jessy Moss, recalling her first impression of seeing the 1961 post-and-beam home on Zillow. But one feature that caught her eye—and hinted to her that the house might be worth a visit—was the cluster of circular pavers that enlivened the driveway. Later, after she and her husband, Steve Jocz, bought the home, they had new concrete pavers laid in a similar pattern.

A simple fern can add color and movement to a bathroom corner, and it especially likes the humid temperature.

Minimalist yet cozy, this cluster-style home in a Norwegian forest offers plenty of nooks to get comfortable in.

In the warm interior of the X House in Hennepin, Illinois, Diane Pascal and Thomas Richie enjoy the view from their boiled-wool Ligne Roset couch in the main living area, where wood paneling on the ceiling and walls mirrors the topography of the landscape. A gauzy green curtain adds a moment of color to the scheme.

This 4,500 Square Feet house was designed and built for a family of four. It is situated at the intersection of two large farm fields and a small naturally occurring basin in Sagaponack, New York.

All of the lights are equipped with dimming mechanisms, and they emit a honey-hued glow to create a sense of warmth.