Surf House

Surf House


Surf House

A hidden jewel in Santa Cruz, Surf House brings a polished bohemian feel right up to the edge of one of the state’s best surf breaks. The clients were well-versed on the nuances of the site and dreamt of a home that fit naturally and sustainably into its beachy, eclectic locale.

Subject to a 100-year geologic setback requirement as well as the CA Coastal Commission, a site-sensitive solution that respected both the coast and the community became a design focus. Monterey Cypress also acts as a focal point of the home’s design – the exterior is clad with board and batten slats, setting up an exterior and interior palette present throughout the home. Waste in the milling process and trunk use was minimized by holistically integrating every level of wood grade into the design.

Surf House’s public spaces capitalize on indoor/outdoor connection, seamlessly transitioning from the intimate front courtyard to the warm and open great room and kitchen, finally opening onto the back patio overlooking the sea. Large sweeping doors open to connect the living space to the spacious back deck, which is fit with an in-ground hot tub and outdoor kitchen perfect for entertaining visiting family and friends.

“It feels like we’re living inside a fine piece of furniture, crafted by artisans at the top of their field. I love to lie on the couch and just let my eye trace all the details. We don’t think about the house as a place. It’s an experience. It’s peace. It feeds our souls.”

LOCATION Santa Cruz, California

PROJECT TEAM
Architecture: Feldman Architecture
Interior Design: Commune Design
Landscape Architect: Ground Studio
Sawyer: Arborica
Contractor: RJL Construction
Structural Engineer: Strandberg Engineering
Lighting Designer: Tucci Lighting
Art Consultant: Allison Harding
Ownership Team: Whiteside Management, LLC
Photography: Joe Fletcher + Stephen Kent Johnson

AWARDS
2022 SARA National Design Awards: Honor Award
2022 Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Awards: Honorable Mention
AIA Monterey Bay Excellence in Design, Honor Award, 2021
Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2020: Beach House

PUBLICATIONS
Architectural Digest
Marie Claire Maison
Coastal Living
Wallpaper
Arch Daily
Elle Decor Spain
Tatler Asia
Dezeen
DIGS Magazine
Houzz
uncrate

 

Atherton Pavilions

Atherton Pavilions


ATHERTON PAVILIONS

The Atherton Pavilions are two accessory structures rich in detail and imagined by the owners to be of the landscape. Both of identical footprint, height, and material, these jewel boxes have two distinct functions: one serves as an outdoor kitchen and dining space, and the other as a meditation or workout room.

The pavilions are delicately placed amidst the existing landscape of redwoods and other mature trees – the clients desired the boxes to be transparent and discrete to blend in with the surrounding softscape. Our team collaborated closely with Thuilot Associates to soften the transition between garden and pavilion.

Lifting the pavilion’s concrete foundations at the front and rear of each pavilion creates an edge – giving the illusion that the structures are hovering over the lush landscaping below. At either end of each pavilion, concrete returns to the site, tying the structures back to the earth.

The pavilions’ facades are wrapped in naturally weathering Alaskan Yellow Cedar that shroud each end of both structures while screens help form trellises on the front and back. The wood screens serve each pavilion in contrasting ways, introducing privacy into the exercise and meditation pavilion, and a feeling of openness in the kitchen pavilion. 

LOCATION Atherton, California

PROJECT TEAM
Architecture: Feldman Architecture
Landscape Architect: Thuilot Associates
Builder: Design Line Construction
Structural Engineer: Daedalus Structural Engineering
Civil Engineer: Lea & Braze Engineering
Geotechnical Engineer: Romig Engineers 
Photography: Adam Rouse

AWARDS & RECOGNITION
SARA National Design Awards 2022: Excellence Award
Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2021: Residential Landscape
Honor Award, Residential Design Magazine, 2021

PUBLICATIONS
Luxe SF
Dezeen
Elle Decor Italy
Wallpaper
Iconic Life
ArchDaily
Design Milk
designboom
PLAIN Magazine
Trends Ideas

Rau Haus

Rau Haus


Rau Haus

A couple with a young daughter looking to leave the city in search of more space contacted Feldman Architecture to design a new home – a modern, secluded residence with a dedicated zone for hosting family and friends. With a site selected with sweeping views over Coal Creek Open Space Preserve, the team’s vision centered around completely immersing visitors in rolling green hills while offering a rare, distant glimpse of the San Francisco Bay to the north.

The design centers around thoughtfully orienting public and private living spaces towards views while creating a sense of privacy from the neighboring lots above. The 3,433 square foot L-shaped building footprint is gently tucked into the eastern hillside, creating an enclosure for outdoor moments, and framing a wide array of views from indoor living spaces.

The volumes are carefully articulated to minimize disruption of views from the surrounding properties. The primary wing runs north to south, expanding vertically at a double-height kitchen and dining space while visually connecting the main level to a study loft and bedrooms upstairs. Light wells and clerestory windows on the eastern façade welcome morning light and offer peeks of greenery without compromising privacy. A single-story form topped by a green roof stretches perpendicularly – blending into the surrounding landscape and creating a multipurpose space at pool level for playing, exercising, and entertaining. The infinity pool acts as a threshold where the manicured landscape merges into the native meadow-scape.

LOCATION Portola Valley, California

PROJECT TEAM
Interior Designer: FQ Designs
Landscape Architect: Thuilot Associates
General Contractor: NorthWall Builders
Lighting Design: Tucci Lighting
Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers
Civil Engineer: Lea & Braze Engineering, Inc.
MEP: Philip Neumann Energy Design
Photography: Adam Rouse

 

 

PUBLICATIONS
Dezeen
Plain Magazine
Arquitectura y Diseno
Inspirationist
Décor Design

Round House

Round House


Round House

Tucked away in Los Altos Hills, the aptly named Round House is a geometrically unique structure; one of a few similarly shaped homes built in California in the 60s. The clients fell in love with this quirky circular house and initially planned a modest remodel. Soon after moving in, the pair recognized the inefficiencies of their new home – low roof eaves curiously obstructed the otherwise spectacular views, spurring their desire to open and modernize the design. Our team set out to craft a respectful enrichment of the home’s original form, focusing in on a site-sensitive response to the steep, challenging plot.

Perched atop a precipitous site, the structure has 180-degree views with a deck that runs around its perimeter. The original central courtyard, once open-to-sky, transformed into the kitchen – an appropriate gesture for an aspiring baker and a family of food enthusiasts. A large circular skylight streams daylight into the kitchen, creating a makeshift sundial that illuminates different sections of custom curved casework throughout the day.  An outdoor deck is strategically carved out at the intersection of the living room and kitchen – framing sprawling views of the South Bay. A Japanese style of charred wood siding, called Shou Sugi Ban, seamless concrete floors, crisp curved white walls, and minimalist interiors let the colorful and dramatic views speak first.

Beyond the imaginative design and technically skilled execution, the home, at its core, is a vessel for experiencing the ethereal beauty of the surroundings. “I just love the way the building opens up to the land, how it interacts with the site. The views and just the experience — what it really feels like from inside out—that, to me, is maybe the biggest success of the project” Steven Stept, AIA, Partner in Charge for Dwell Magazine.

LOCATION Los Altos Hills, California

PROJECT TEAM
Landscape Architect: Variegated Green
General Contractor: Baywest Builders
Lighting Design: Tucci Lighting
Structural Engineer: BKG Structural Engineers
Civil Engineer: Lea & Braze Engineering, Inc.
Geotechnical Consultant: Romig Engineers Inc
Arborist: Urban Tree Management
Photography: Adam Rouse

CASE STUDY
Process Case Study: Round House

 

 

AWARDS
2022 Residential Design Honor Award: Renovation
Interior Design Best of the Year Award 2022: Kitchen
2022 SARA National Design Awards: Excellence Award 
2022 Luxe RED Awards: Restoration or Renovation
2022 Master Design Awards: Whole House More Than $700,000 — GOLD
Dwell Design Awards 2021: Kitchen

PUBLICATIONS
Dwell
Enki Magazine
Wallpaper
The Local Project
Qualified Remodeler
Hoom
Elle Decor Italy
Dezeen
AD Russia
designboom
Gessato
Floornature
Urbana

Sky House

Sky House


Sky House

A San Francisco couple with two elementary school girls aimed to relocate from Noe Valley to San Francisco’s scenic Pacific Heights neighborhood in search of more space for their active family. An existing two-unit building stood out immediately – a quintessentially San Franciscan 180-degree view from the roof deck inspired the direction of our studio’s renovation and the client’s modernized vision. Creatively reorganizing public and private spaces, Sky House invites bay views and natural light into the fully remodeled interior.

The renovation offers a creative fix to a lack of natural light in the vertically oriented, stacked upper unit. A reimagined central staircase allows sunlight to connect multiple floors through a generous skylight, cascading down a carefully detailed screened guardrail. This central stair thoughtfully unifies the lower living spaces and the upper entertaining areas, adding a focal point to previously disjointed levels. The third floor hosts the primary suite overlooking the city skyline, with children’s bedrooms clustered around a communal family room. On the fourth floor, an open plan living room, dining room, and kitchen overlook the bay; sliding floor-to-ceiling glass doors open completely onto a transparent guard rail creating an indoor/outdoor space. Perched on the top level, an indoor lounge flows seamlessly onto a scenic roof deck with a wet bar fit for entertaining. The building’s lower rental unit thoughtfully occupies the first two floors of the home, connecting to a rear yard reimagined by Studio Mala.

The refreshed façade hints at a modern interior; wood banding and asymmetrical glazing juxtapose the traditional roof form, maintained from the existing structure. The home is all electric with a solar array and battery backup system – our team worked closely with Positive Energy to carefully track, monitor, and improve upon water and energy usage, focusing on resiliency and efficiency.

LOCATION San Francisco, California

PROJECT TEAM
Interior Designer: Leverone Design
Landscape Design: Studio Mala
General Contractor: Forma Construction
Lighting Design: Tucci Lighting
Structural Engineer: Holmes Structures
Geotechnical Engineer: Murray Engineers Inc
Mechanical Engineer: Positive Energy
Owner’s Representative: Peak Projects
Home Automation: Amplified Lifestyles