RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS

Where Indoor-Outdoor Living Meets Sculptural Elegance

The dream home for a family of 6. They wanted the usual SoCal indoor-outdoor experiences in a modern, glassy, one-story layout with a very private master suite. Floor to ceiling glass is always an option on private properties such as this, as well as the ability to spread out. Add a few sculpted plaster-steel-woody moments and wa-lah! Home at last. (project currently approved through Ventura County Zoning)

Where Contemporary Meets Timeless Warmth

These clients, like any good designers, had about 4 different house projects in them when it came to this home. We started at French Country and unapologetically, made our way into Transitional Contemporary, whilst holding onto the original warmth of the property. The end result provides clean lines and a rear wall of the house that blurs the line of indoor/outdoor; a floating glassy spiral stair, a world class kitchen and mastersuite to rival any 5 star resort with an adjacent 350 sqft patio/balcony…all with plenty of room for tons and tons of grandchildren…aaah, paradise.

(in assoc. with NanceeWolfeDesigns)

A Vision So Good, They Almost Kept It

The owners of this property wanted us to create a vision of what it could be to help them in selling it….so we did. We created a vision of what was possible (and allowable by Beverly Hills). Floor to ceiling glass, more indoor/outdoor entertaining on multiple levels, better use of the view from all parts of the project and fresh, clean, contemporary lines. As often happens, for a while they considered staying and not selling at all.

Sculpting Light, Function, and a Second Life

At the intersection of art and architecture lives our Mobile Greenhouse. This seeming love-child of @tomfruin & @olsonkundig was assembled with salvaged pieces including Sunkist-steel-factory windows, a motorcycle trailer, an old factory hand wheel, a rooftop solar water tank, a kid’s single speed bicycle front/rear sprockets, a chain from a retractable entry gate along with new metal stock from @ims_metals and beautiful art glass from @pacificartglass. p.c. @garymossfoto

Function is elevated through beauty and now our herb garden is protected from the adorable bunnies of this Conejo Valley while the structure throws pools of liquid blue and green on the DG. All while re-using leftover parts, some of a bygone era. (Sigh. Oh, single-paned steel windows, we love you – even though you are completely energy inefficient) The parabolic angle-iron arch was critical to the design so we sallied forth through the tantrums it caused. As lovers of stained glass in general, we loved seeing this larger scale project come together.

Where Modern Meets Medieval:
The ‘Chicken and Waffles’ House

The clients lovingly call this their “Chicken and Waffles” house. She envisioned modern, clean lines, while he was drawn to medieval charm; fortunately, both shared a passion for the Arts and Crafts style. Inspired by Bernard Maybeck, we blended these two distinct tastes into something transformative. It’s hard to believe that any of the original house remains within.

Craftsman Spirit, Contemporary Edge

This couple loved the niches, warmth and nestled dwelling spaces of their ranch house, but also longed for some clean, modern lines and were HUGE on the view.

So we blew off the end of the house, added on a tiny amount and went up.

All the while giving them a master suite addition that was simultaneously traditional and modern; carved with alcoves and moments of respite, but also glassy out onto the world. An attenuated batten/board interior and exterior knitted the two worlds together. A world where a baroquely framed impressionistic painting finds new beauty along side the steel cable handrail.

A Bold Rebirth: Spanish Ranch to Contemporary

This couple had a traditional, late 70’s Spanish style ranch house that they wanted to bring into the 21st century. No problem. Horizontal lines, cantilevered trellis’, wood, plaster and some stainless steel will do the trick. Pretty much the whole house was gutted and redone….the end resulting in a warm, contemporary home that is barely recognizable as the same property.

Crafted for Living: A Not So Big Country Farmhouse

This couple wanted a country farmhouse and all that that implies—the porch, the charm, the craft—but only one story please. Using the “Not So Big House” approach* we gave them a well crafted, unique and inspiring home.

By laying the house on the property in an “L” shaped, Wrightian-polliwog fashion, the house sculpts the backyard, provides an intensely private master suite and opens up the center of the house to simultaneous views of both the front and back yards.

At the interior, dramatically shaped ceilings, painted wood trim, niches and cubbies abound. A home that captures memories and imagination in its countless alveoli of space.

By using humble materials (fiber cement board siding, asphalt shingles, vinyl windows) and keeping the square footage under 2,500 sq. ft., we are able to splurge luxuriously in spots: a kitchen stone hearth over 27′-0″ tall, over 1,000 square feet of covered deck space, a vaulted oculus in the living room and a zen, stone master bathroom…how nice it is to do more with less.

*The Not So Big House is the first in a series of best-selling books by author Sarah Susanka

Small rooms. Big emotional impact.
Crafted to the bone.

These are spaces experienced at close range. Kitchens and bathrooms may be smaller in scale, but they demand the greatest precision—where walls thicken, light is shaped, materials are touched daily, and every decision matters. From refining a midcentury modern kitchen to sculpting a bathroom into a calm, immersive retreat, each project is driven by proportion, craft, and experience. Nothing is extraneous. Every surface, transition, and detail is carefully considered to elevate daily rituals into something grounded, tactile, and enduring.