With a large circle of family and friends, a San Francisco couple commissioned a guesthouse to double as a pool house for their wine country home. They envisioned flexible spaces to support indoor-outdoor living by the pool, just steps away.
The guest house was conceived to be a resort-like cabana, a bright white destination in contrast to the existing main house and ADU, which are single story and dark in tone. Paired wings reach out to draw visitors into a covered courtyard while paired trellises extend the reach of each wing. The underside of the courtyard roof reaches up to contrast with existing and new flat rooflines. Finished with warm cedar, the surface drops back behind the doors to blur the lines between indoor and out.
The bath interiors are similarly designed for spa-like appeal and simplicity. The bath, with its glass doors, brings the garden into the vanity space, already infused with greenery. Color and texture in the water-hued shower tile references its purpose while harmonizing with the greenery outdoors. With its door open, bathing becomes a resort-influenced outdoor shower experience, augmented by a large skylight above. When closed, the shower becomes a private space that still enjoys views above strategically placed opaque film.
Materials were chosen pre- and post-consumer recycling considerations. Fenestration and insulation values exceed minimums, putting little demand on the heat pump mini split system. Heating for the pool is supplied by the solar array and solar-fed batteries supply generators needed for power shutoffs. Wildland Urban Interface regulations are met and augmented with fire resistant sheathing in addition to the stucco exterior. And, to meet the newest of sustainable measures - the design offers social sustainability in the age of Covid - with flexible indoor-outdoor spaces that allow for distancing.
