Floating Bar House

The Floating Bar House was designed to be a home for generations, a gathering place for children, parents, grandparents, and all members of the client’s extended family. As an international business man, our client travels between the US and China, spending extended time away from his wife and twins. Thus, he was interested in creating not only space to live, but also to entertain and host friends during his time in California.

The private site is situated on a flag lot, surrounded by open space with mature perimeter trees and vegetation. The structure is made up of two bars stacked atop one another with perpendicular linearity. On the ground level, the “living bar” houses the kitchen, dining, and family room, as well as a double height Great Room. In order to foster a connection between the living area and outdoor deck, large portions of the bar open up to a covered patio at the rear of the house and trellis at the front, allowing for the surrounding scenery to pass through the house via vistas created by the architecture. The “sleeping bar” is comprised of the master suite, which captures views overlooking the bay area, and the twin’s rooms that are positioned at the opposite end; identical in order “not to favor one twin over the other.”

For the finishes of the home, refined materiality of stone and wood resonated well the client, inspiring our designers to choose bush hammered travertine and reclaimed ulin wood siding for the exterior of the structure. The interior of the home embodies a warm yet contrasting palette, fitted with white oak paneling, black Fenix laminate, and white marble with brass accents. The result, a minimal, elegant, and modern space.