A couple enlist Butler Armsden Architects and Leverone Design to reimagine their home as a multigenerational meeting point. In 1963, landscape designer Lawrence Halprin devised a master plan for a community that would live in harmony with the natural environment. The resulting Sea Ranch, which stretches 10 miles along the Pacific coastline in Sonoma County, California, is characterized by timber-frame, wood-clad structures that are in dialogue with the local climate and terrain. Sited on a bluff within this pioneering community is the vacation home of a lawyer couple. After purchasing the residence in 2007, they lived in the home as it was for four years, even keeping the previous owners’ furniture. Envisioning a retreat that would accommodate their extended family and guests, they then recruited Butler Armsden Architects and Leverone Design to help guide the project.

Sleeping nooks that look like the grooves in a block of cheese.

A passage between the walls for hide and seek.

Foyer

“We have lots of gadgets for tech enthusiasts in general,” says Teresa Rivera, vice president of retail sales and service. “But our best-sellers are iOS-connected devices.”

An archival photo shows the interior of the detached studio with drafting tables awash in light through the enormous skylight above.

Built in the early 60s, the separate concrete-and-glass studio echoes the original home.

Sennheiser gave its new Momentum headphones, which it unveiled at CES this year, an unabashedly retro look. The phones, which the company says offer superior sound, come equipped with volume and mute controls on the cord. Momentum has a suggested retail price of $349. Photo courtesy of Sennheiser.

Zinken headphones by Urbanears, $100 at MoMA Design Store Get the most out of your music—and maybe tune out a roommate or two—with these on-ear headphones, which deliver deep bass and clear mid-rage sounds. Designed for professional DJs, these headphones feature a dual-duty cable that eliminates the need for an adapter when plugging in to a mixer, but they are affordable enough for the average audiophile.

The BeoPlay H2 Headphones are streamlined, modern, and offer superior sound quality. Featuring a flexible on-ear profile, the BeoPlay H2 Headphones include a microphone and hassle-free remote. Available in distinct colors—sleek silver, vivid green, and deep blue—the headphones are meant to give character and personality while maintaining a minimalist, urban style.

Studio headphones by Beats by Dre. As Beats Electronics' first employee and CEO, Susan Paley helped establish the company's headphones as a fashion statement.

The living room Ortal fireplace is clad in cold-rolled steel with a waxed finish. The side chairs, vintage reproductions from Room and Board, feature shapely walnut arms.

For those working in a less-than-tranquil office, the BeoPlay H8 Wireless Headphones ($499) offers noise cancellation and premium Bluetooth 4.0 listening. It goes without saying that they're comfortable: the ear pads are lambskin-wrapped memory foam. When you need to transition back to business, the device can take phone calls thanks to a wireless microphone at the base of the earplate. They come in agrilla bright (seen here) or a darker grey hazel.

Aiaiai TMA Headphones by KiBiSi. Designed in 2009. In stores in 2010. Photo courtesy of KiBiSi

In all of its beige glory...

Noise-canceling headphones work by producing sound waves that are 180 degrees out of phase with ambient sound waves, like those coming from airplane engines or air conditioners. Basically, the sounds meet and cancel each other out to produce silence, so only the music can be heard.

BeoPlay H8 Wireless Headphones, $499 at the Dwell Store With the BeoPlay H8 Headphones, Bang & Olufsen offers a premium wireless listening experience with active noise cancelation. The headphones have a comfortable fit and exquisite technology, including the latest Bluetooth technology and aptX codec.

With the BeoPlay H8 Headphones, Bang & Olufsen offers a premium wireless listening experience with active noise cancelation. The innovative headphones utilize gentle gestures to control the headphones, including short presses to play or pause music and answer or end a phone call. This makes it simple and intuitive to control the headphones, without needing to access your mobile phone or other device. The ear pads are comprised of lambskin wrapped memory foam, offering a comfortable wear that helps prevent sound leakage.

A small dining space and kitchen area blend into the expansive wood paneling used throughout The Barn.

The addition’s two stories of cedar-framed sliding doors and window provide generous views of the house’s prized jacaranda tree. The addition’s polished concrete floor and white cladding extend into the garden, drawing occupants to the serene rear porch. There, they can relax on stools designed by Alvar Aalto and Charles Wilson while admiring the luscious greenery.

Wave, by Robert Longo

Emigre No. 70, cover