Lake|Flato Architects

The project includes a main house, guest retreat, pool house, and tennis pavilion that sit on 10 acres of rolling hills. While the location makes way for a typical ranch-style house, this project features a combination of modern and vintage furnishings, clean lines, and a truly stellar contemporary art collection. Considering its surroundings, the house was built with massive blocks of Texas Lueders limestone that they mixed with steel and glass walls. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the green landscape and fill the house with something natural – sunlight.

Besides the “great room”, the main house has an eat-in kitchen, six bedrooms, and a master suite. The main living area has double-height ceilings making the open living and dining room feel quite grand. Each bedroom has a completely different vibe making it really hard to choose a favourite. The master suite is located right off the great room and has perforated suede wall panels giving the room a lush feel. In the guesthouse, there’s two bedrooms, an indoor/outdoor living room, and a wine cellar.

Skylights at the apex of a sloping roof project light onto the brick internal walls of this extension to a bungalow in Sydney, by local studio Andrew Burges Architects. The family, who occupy a typical 1940s bungalow, asked Andrew Burges to reorganise and extend the property in Sydney's North Shore to improve both the daylight inside and the connection with the garden. "The conceptual framework of the house has been developed around improving the quality and character of natural light in both the existing interior and as a defining element in the new addition," said the architects. The pitched roof of the single-storey extension rises from behind the roof of the original house, resulting in a V-shaped gap between the two. This incorporates skylights, ensuring that daylight reaches spaces at the centre of the home. The living, dining and kitchen area located within the extension is illuminated by large windows facing the garden and by two skylights built into the roof that channel light onto the walls. Materials were chosen to enhance the unusual section of the new structure. The sloping ceiling is painted white, while the walls that extend up towards the skylights are constructed from bricks reclaimed from the demolished rear wall and former bathroom. Photography is by Peter Bennetts.

A great refurbishment project by Cooper Joseph Studio http://www.cooperjosephstudio.com

This agricultural property in Sonoma, California is the home of two scientists involved in various farm projects including the production of olives, olive oil, honey, as well as bee keeping, extensive gardening, and other endeavors that take advantage of the area’s climate, soils, and siting.

The house is 2,200 square feet on two levels. As part of an extensive renovation, the existing north façade, stair, and porch were removed and replaced with a new glass wall and balcony structure. Most of the original wood framing for the house itself, including board and baton siding (stained dark grey) and a gable roof structure, were retained. Inside, the upper floor was excavated so that the lower level den is now open to the full height of the volume. Instead of a dark living room on each of the two levels, there is now one exciting living space with open views and light. In this house, the strategy of reducing space instead of enlarging the house actually increased its livability.

The balcony is the iconic form that redefines the image and focus of the house. Ipe is used as a screen and framing device. This material brings warmth to the cool California light, creating a more intimate setting and focusing views on the surrounding landscape. Ipe was chosen specifically for its strength and ability to span the entire depth of the porch without intermediate support.

The main house on the property had been built in the 1970s as a ‘spec’ house dropped on the hill with no attention to the actual site. The windows were small; the spaces were dark and the whole redwood deck felt like it was entrapping the house instead of making a place to occupy … We wanted light, views and a more transparent porch where we could sit comfortable in the shade.”  - Client

Elliott Kaufman Photography