The design of the home is inspired by mid century modern design and the warm California climate that allows for indoor outdoor living spaces. Natural wood is used throughout on the floors and ceilings. Bright color on the walls, tile and cabinetry add character and warmth.
The remodel consists of a one story house on the original two story house foundation. It's mostly a bar shape, north to south and oriented to embrace the land to the west that flows downhill to a stream with a view of a ridge of trees. To design the home for aging in place, the architects created hallways and doors to be wide and gracious. There are smooth, wheelchair friendly transitions between floor finishes and in the showers. The breakfast area—the spot in the house where they best loved taking in those views of that valley—did not move.
Large overhangs and a clerestory bar shade the space from the plentitude of sun but let the views in. The kitchen expanded two feet north to add more space for seating. The family room was elongated and widened. The architect reduced four bedrooms down to two, giving the spaces better proportion and flow. and to make the house better suited for aging in place. The master suite takes the place of the old living room and extends further to the south to allow for the right-sized bathroom and dressing room. The architects added a right amount of square footage to the floor plan to create gracious flow and function.
More information and images of the project can be found on the Hart Wright Architects blog and website.