For an active, entertaining, modern blended family, we set out to reimagine the classic farmhouse concept by combining traditional architectural forms with a contemporary open floor plan. The entertaining and family spaces, the heart of the project, are housed in the double height ‘barn’ volumes, which dissipate at their base to seep out into a central communal courtyard and existing pool. Indoors is outdoors and outdoors is indoors.
Set in the rolling hills of the Paso Robles wine region, the farmhouse grows from the roots of a multi-generational family farm and vineyard. To root the home in the landscape, we chose agrarian materials native to California – the ‘barns’ clad in western red cedar and corrugated CorTen roofing nod to the vernacular buildings found elsewhere on the property. These volumes are knit together with blocks of secondary program clad in charred wood siding inspired by an old grain mill in nearby Templeton, CA. And lastly, the modern white stucco of the cantilevered structures harkens back to the regions mission architecture.
Questions and Answers
Who are the clients and what's interesting about them?
Austin is the president and winemaker of Hope Family Wines, a Paso Robles, California-based wine producer encompassing the Liberty School, Treana, Austin Hope, Troublemaker and Candor wine labels. Celeste is a photographer. Her early career focused on musician portraits and documenting music festivals and she has also traveled extensively photographing philanthropic missions in Africa and Mexico. She also now helps run the family business focusing on marketing projects for Hope Family Wines.
Key products used:
The home’s dramatic gables and material palette of Western Red Cedar and Corten Steel Roofing are inspired by the tasting barns for the hope family winery already existing on the estate, which are also featured in the winery’s logo.
· Large, long windows by Western Windows provide expansive views of the vineyard from every room
· Shou sugi ban siding, a traditionally Japanese siding technique that renders cedar charcoal-black and weather resistant by charring it with fire, was chosen to mimic the charred wood sides of a nearby grain mill in nearby Templeton, CA - one of the home owner Austin’s favorite structures in the area. The couple fell in love with the siding from Delta Millworks on a trip to Austin TX, where Celeste is from and the couple originally met.
· The homeowners were married under an old tree on the property, nicknamed the love tree, which was struck by lightning during construction of the home. We were inspired by the story and when Ben Kulick, the builder, mentioned he wanted to build the couple a wine rack as a gift at the end of the project we decided to design one using giant slabs of live edge wood from the love tree that Ben milled in his shop. The slabs are 30-40" wide and 8 feet tall, we used aluminum pegs to hold the bottles so that they would contrast the ruggedness of the wood. These were then installed in a separately conditioned glassed in closet in the game room. The wine rack holds approximately 650 bottles and is a show-stopping focal point to the game room.
What were the key challenges?
The homeowners approached Dick Clark + Associates to design a dramatic remodel of an existing ranch house on the property. They wanted a space that reflected how they really lived, which accommodated their love of entertaining, and supported their active lifestyle with two daughters and a growing family of pets. The courtyard-style layout, with the communal spaces on both floors surrounding the pool and outdoor entertainment areas achieved this for them.
This family is all about having fun and the house needed to reflect that. Flow was very important so an open concept design flowing between the kitchen and living room to the game room (with indoor outdoor bar) and into the cabana (half TV room with pool bath and half back up guest bedroom) which opens out onto a shaded outdoor kitchen next to the pool. The vibrant use of materials, bold interior color palette, and eclectic furniture went hand in hand with this concept.
How is the project unique?
Austin is an avid at home cook and frequently hosts epic dinner parties for 12 or more. The kitchen was carefully designed to accommodate his cooking style, including restaurant level appliances like a Salamander above the range, a large prep sink in the center of the island, and a full outdoor kitchen with an Argentinean grill and a traditional BBQ. Every element of the kitchen was carefully considered so that Austin could be cooking up a storm while Celeste and the girls could still be getting things from the fridge, using the microwave, and accessing the dishwasher, garbage, etc. Their daily dishes are easily reachable on an open shelf and everything else needed for setting the table, laying out linens etc. is stored in a series of drawers on the outside of the island facing the dining table. Since the open plan didn't allow for a hutch/banquet this section of the island serves this purpose. Because the Island is quite long, there was space to provide ample storage in addition to a cantilevered end for casual dining and hanging out on stools closer to the pool.
A 30' wide glass door opens between the Living Room / Dining/ Kitchen and the outdoor courtyard and completely pockets into the walls. This unique feature means that the transition from indoors to outdoors is almost seamless. It is just as fun for hosting big parties as it is for casual family afternoons around the pool. On nice days, which are ample in the central California coast, you can feel the breezes filtering throughout the house from the open doors. It truly feels like a vacation.
An example of a big party is when the homeowners transform the house into a Day of the Dead themed wonderland for their annual Dia de los Muertos party which takes over the whole house.
