The Modern California Ranch
With a much more modestly scaled and straight-forward vision, the clients requested a modern and minimalist single-story house. The result is Swatt + Partners' ground-up, nearly 4,000 square foot structure, which sits on a half-acre parcel surrounded by both old-growth trees and new drought resistant, native plantings by Huettl Landscape Architecture.
In the expert hands of Swatt + Partners, a collection of simple-looking geometric forms becomes a modern composition, at once restrained and expansive, and skillfully built by Lencioni Construction Company.
From the street, the structure's low profile and understated details are made even more crisp in white cement plaster, while Western Red Cedar—used judiciously as siding, and for the front door and window wall—as well as the integration of new landscaping, add warmth and create an inviting entry sequence. At the entrance, the roofline subtly changes in height and defines the sitting and dining areas. This allows for the ceiling plane to seemingly float to accommodate a clerestory which brings in natural light and provides visual hints of sky and trees.
Anchored by white cement plaster, the materials palette continues harmoniously inside the structure with Western Red Cedar ceilings, and hardwood flooring in the bedrooms and tile flooring in the bathrooms.
While maintaining the structure's low profile in front, Swatt + Partners opened up its back. To visually expand the area and increase functionality, the inside corner containing the great room and kitchen features retractable window walls which open to an outdoor terrace, shielded from the elements by a generous roof overhang with an inset sunscreen. The outdoor patio features a double fireplace and looks out onto a well proportioned rear yard which includes a swimming pool and jacuzzi.
Located on the north corner, the primary suite features a bath area in an outdoor-like setting: It is wall-enclosed on three sides for privacy with a vertical skylight overhead. The bathtub is accessed through oversize terrazzo pavers surrounded by stones, and through partially retractable glass wall, looks onto separate areas for the sink and vanity, and shower. The bedroom, which is wall-enclosed on three sides, opens up on one side to a private patio with views and access to the rear yard.
The rear yard features the same plantings as the front yard and include coast redwoods and oaks that create a natural privacy wall. Overall, landscape design and architecture work harmoniously to create an appealing modern composition.
