Welcome

Homeowner Simon Doonan stands next to the front door. "We have flamboyance, and we’re not inhibited about anything. [Architect] Gray Organschi gave [the house] that intellectual rigor needed to make it beautiful. We were well matched."

The house uses solar panels and water tanks to function off the grid. Its waste water is recycled and used for irrigation.

The concept is adaptable for both land and sea.

With his son, William, watching, architect Noah Walker tries out the floor-to-ceiling Schüco glass doors he integrated into a guesthouse he designed off an existing barn for Nathan Frankel, an amateur violinist, in Beverly Hills, California. The new portion features an open living-dining area. See more glass houses we love!

SONY DSC

A beloved Japanese tradition is to char exterior cladding to make it fire resistant. Here, the effect on the front door is likely more aesthetic than preventative—though you can never be too careful.

The narrow entrance hall faces another door, which opens seaward. Built-in cabinets serve as both storage and display. The porthole mirror is by Jacques Adnet.

The house is entered through a Visteon steel door by Neoporte, who also provided the solid core birch interior doors.

The door to the house is actually on the side of the house, further adding to the sense of privacy the Shozis sought.

Gray-purple iron railings, a fuchsia and green wooden entry, and garage doors provide contrast to the white walls of this Santa Barbara home. Photo by Steven Holmes.

“One cannot overstate the importance of the Eames House,” says architect Frank Escher, who will join the discussion on its restoration.

The building’s design was determined by the desire for a strong geometric form and by the materials Hunt could find. The cedar cladding is meant to fade over time.