The Cattail House

The home is called Cattail House, owing to its location on a sloped site overlooking a cattail creek. Verdant rolling hills and dense woods inspired the design. The concept was to frame the view as a giant Monet Water Lilies through the perspective of a large, covered patio. A 24' bi-fold door opens the interior to the patio and perfectly captures the creek view. It also expands the living and entertaining space.

Inside is a moody study of blues and greys, punctuated by the homeowner’s extensive contemporary art collection. A Takashi Murakami rainbow flower is the perfect pop of color and is bathed in natural light on a stairwell. The home’s 3,300 s.f. layout is centered around the expansive covered patio and common area. The patio roof cantilevers beyond the patio, to float along the rear of the home. Offices, bedroom suites, and a library expand out from the central patio to capture the view as well. Oversized windows without mullions or grilles seemingly bring the landscape indoors.

The home has a long horizontal footprint, so one challenge was siting the home in a way that allowed privacy from the busy road and still afforded some setback from the creek. After numerous site visits, the resolution came in placing the home and front windows below the street, but still above the creek to capture the view.