Summer-Ready Decks

The bach, which is rented as a vacation home when not being used by its owners, gives a range of spaces to escape to within its walls. The end of the house farthest from the road contains the secluded master bedroom with en suite, which has its own entrance and is separated by the covered deck. Each bedroom has a sheltered outdoor space with a translucent screen that acts as a kind of lightwell, offering total privacy while allowing light to permeate the interior. The height of the screens was lowered slightly to give a clear view of the silhouette of the nearby mountain. “You don’t want to be opening and closing curtains all the time,” says Lance Herbst. “We wanted it to be the kind of house you can walk around in after your swim and have a high level of privacy.”

The central oak tree sprouts out of the rear deck. The atrium’s array of windows draw the eye in the tree’s direction. The wood cladding of the single-story wings provide a pleasant contrast with the central volume’s stucco finish.

Living spaces are tailored to each of the two clients' needs. Here, the composite bamboo decking is by Calibamboo. Courtesy of Richard Leo Johnson / Atlantic Archives Inc.

The living room also opens onto a private terrace, concealed within the entrance’s cantilevered form. It serves as a secluded space to take in the sun. Thanks to the sizeable opening between the living room and terrace, it brings yet more light into the home. The terrace’s table and chairs are from Ikea.

Since the front door is located in the exterior wall, residents first enter a vast garden before reaching the gable roof house.

The narrow balcony helps shade the residents while funneling the cool ocean breeze from the west.

Rex folding rocker chairs from Design Within Reach are paired with black galvanized-steel planters from Ikea on the building’s roof deck.