A ‘light soffit’ offers a dynamic view of the stream below, providing both visual and audio stimulation. Throughout the year, the studio is filled with the sound of water, from the ocean waves to the rain and drizzle, to the flowing stream below. The artist, who has a longstanding connection to the site, focuses on “art which leaves marks at once permanent and delicate,” much like the structure itself.

Front Entry Detail

The covered walkway is enveloped by cedar planks and lush oak canopies.

The kitchen defines the Northern edge of the great room. High East facing windows bathe the room in early morning light.

The great room, housed under a dramatic tongue and groove Cedar soffit, is flanked by views towards the East and West.

See Arch refinished the soffit cladding and deck while making repairs as necessary.

The sharp ridgeline and soaring soffit reference a tent-like experience in an architecturally elegant way.

Exposed steel, concrete soffits, and cement-washed bricks were been chosen as key components of the home due to the materials having low-maintenance, yet being extremely durable.

The pool was purposefully constructed close to the indoor living spaces in order to contribute to the interior ambiance. The material palette was informed by the color of the surrounding trees—clay brick for the walls, wood for the soffits, and stone for the flooring.

Western red cedar clads the interior walls and soffit.

A dramatic roof overhang with Douglas Fir soffits and rammed earth walls frame the entrance.

Wood soffit seen against the night sky.

The ceiling of the exterior patio and soffits is crafted from inexpensive sheets of plywood cut into smaller pieces, assembled in a custom pattern, and stained.

Detail of window wall, yakisugi siding, and tongue-and-groove fir soffit

A timber palette emphasizes indoor/outdoor living. The outdoor cedar deck visually extends the interior white oak floors. The ceilings and soffits are made of hemlock.

The tall ladder lives secured against the wall, but can be attached to either the guest loft or storage soffit, providing access to either.

The sleeping cubbies lie beneath the walkway connecting front and back units. Cedar decking and soffit add warmth and texture to the transitional space.

Accoya ¬¬– a durable acetylated sustainably grown softwood ¬¬– was used as tongue-and- groove cladding on the walls and soffits, for fencing and screens, and on the interior as ceilings and stair guardrails.

In the kitchen, Ben removed a peninsula counter unit with upper cabinets, which previously separated the kitchen and dining rooms and impeded flow. Ceiling soffits were removed as well to open up the space.

Located along the heavy steel back wall, the entry pathway is one of the home's several interstitial spaces designed to reinforce connection with nature. The soffit and wall siding are maibec wood.

The home's flooring ranges from paved brick to reclaimed teak. The ceilings are made from textured Portuguese cork, which seamlessly transitions out to the soffits.

With a sleek, contemporary profile, the Drake is equally comfortable in rugged terrain or a more refined setting. Here is a look at the ladder accessing the storage soffit. The bathroom window extends your sight-line through the space and outward.

The home emphasizes a pull to the western view: joinery volumes, the direction of decking and soffits, the board forming in the concrete, the custom elongated strip lighting, and the large cantilevered decks all stretch westward to reinforce and frame the surrounding scenery.

Concealed internal retractable insect screens and external roller blinds are housed within fabricated steel head beams, which work in confluence with blinds concealed in upper soffit pockets to temper direct sunlight when required

"The location allowed the development of several effluvial sensations," Poss says. "Throughout the day water reflections are projected onto the soffit." Photo by Phillip Kalantzis-Cope.

One of the most striking features of the house is the play of warm, saturated spotted gum—used for the joinery, flooring in some of the bedrooms, the study, ceilings, decks, soffits, threshold, and inlays—against cool concrete used for benchtops, floor, walls, and paving.

The eaves are finished with cumaru, a Brazilian teak, and a new mahogany front door warms up the black-and-white facade. “It reminds us of places we’ve been on vacation,” Ron says of the wood. The design team swapped the soffit and porch lights with midcentury-inspired fixtures.

A view of the east-facing wing, showing the straw bale walls and curving cantilever roof with metal trim, wooden soffit and 3D printed caps for the standing seam copper roof.

"A large loggia adjacent to the pool includes an outdoor kitchen and open fireplace. Timeless external finishes include cement render walls, metal fascias and timber soffits, and contrasting black powder-coated door frames and screens," says the architect and interior designer, InForm.

A view of the great hall today. Restored soffit lighting glows against original mahogany panels and stonework. Other elements of Walter Hall's design were also renewed—including decorative vents built into the windowsills to hide radiant in-wall heating.

At the McClendon Residence’s entrance, ipe wood siding and soffits contrast with light concrete-block walls. "We used natural materials and colors for a modern aesthetic that would fit in with the neighborhood," explains Andrews. "As you approach, the house is subtle and quiet rather than being ostentatious and loud."

Perched above a pond on 14 acres in Champaign, Illinois, this hut was designed for enjoying tea and meditation. Dominating the 97-square-foot structure is a butterfly roof, which channels rainwater to a central spout to be directed to the pond. Adding to the zen experience are water reflections that are projected onto the soffit throughout the day.

The preserved railing was painted Benjamin Moore “Wrought Iron.” A soffit, its underside lined with square-edge white oak tongue and groove cladding, both defines the entry to the primary suite, and creates a cozy feel for the couch beneath it. Right Brilliant Willing Mori Pendants hang over the stairs.

Soffit venting is integrated into the wood soffit.

In a family’s pint-size lake retreat in Austin, Texas, ipe siding and decking meet concrete floors and steeland-glass windows. Stained cyprus was used for the ceiling and soffit. The custom barn-style sliding door conceals the family’s collection of giant inner tubes and other boating equipment. Photo by: Kimberly Davis

Porch soffit