17-026 The Phoenix
After losing their mountain home to a fire in 2017, our clients were eager to start fresh and improve upon the shortcomings of the original structure. Draped at the top of a ridge in Healdsburg, with views stretching across the valley as far as Mount Saint Helena, the diverse and picturesque site served as a starting place for an imaginative retreat for a forward-thinking family. The Phoenix is a modern home that intimately connects its occupants to the dramatic landscape, thoughtfully framing and prioritizing views, and refreshing a site scarred by California fires.
The project asked our team to rethink the home’s placement, creatively and sensitively responding to the sloping site. The house and landscape plans are defined by a series of elongated, stacked, rectilinear forms stretching from east to west. The original layout situated the pool significantly downslope of the house, resulting in a disconnect between indoor and outdoor living spaces. Due to the complexities of the steep site, our design team faced the challenging task of relocating the pool to improve its relationship with both the home and the pool house; the resulting design crafts a series of intimate indoor-outdoor spaces for hosting and entertaining, as well as calm moments of immersion in the surrounding landscape.
Public Spaces
Looking southeast towards sprawling mountain views, an open kitchen and living room are accented by walls of sliding windowed doors and custom casework. A bespoke lighting sculpture artfully crafted alongside studio DRIFT floats delicately between the dining and living spaces, interjecting a sense of lighthearted movement into clean and modern finishes
Private Spaces
On the upper level, the windowed primary suite dramatically floats over valleyed views, sitting lightly above the rolling coastal fog that blankets the Healdsburg hills. Connecting hallways open onto green roofs and a western deck designed to capture colorful mountain sunsets, as well as additional bedrooms perch over tailored lower-level landscape moments. With turnkey interiors by Gaile Guevara Studio, the retreat is fit with products, finishes, and furnishings all sourced from healthy, sustainably-minded brands and suppliers.
Details and Materiality
Modern, clean materials and finishes allow sweeping views to speak first. Equitone siding clads the structure, and Blomberg windows open completely onto outdoor living areas. Inside, Cooritalia Grigio Montenapoleano graces the countertops, sinks, and bathrooms, and custom concrete flooring on the first level blurs indoor and out, while engineered European Oak flooring on the second level adds warmth and refinement to private spaces.
