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Architects: Cass Calder Smith Architecture + Interiors
- Area: 2100 ft²
- Year: 2020
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Photographs:Paul Dyer
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Manufacturers: Accyoa, Benjamin Moore, Fleetwood, Hakwood, Henrybuilt, Ipe decking, Velux
Text description provided by the architects. This new house located on the lagoon within the community of Seadrift in Stinson Beach is for owners with two teenage children. As a 2,100 square-foot weekend house, it is meant as a family gathering place for casual dwelling, recreating, entertaining, and connecting with nature.
From the street, the breezeway establishes a sense of entry and also a departure from the weekly pressures of deadlines and toil - to the sacred from the mundane. The shape of the house and the location of spaces maximize indoor-outdoor connections in two directions.
To the north, the rooms aim towards the water and the mountain beyond. The upper deck seamlessly connects to the inside and terraces down to the lagoon deck, creating two places to enjoy. The lower deck and floating dock mainly serve the launching of boats and boards and have a firepit and jacuzzi to further enjoy being near the water. To the south of the main living area is a three-sided courtyard planned as an outdoor room with views to the west and back through the house. Connections to the outdoors are established through expanses of sliding glass doors that open wide, resulting in the home being very see-through and filled with exquisite Northern California natural light.
Long skylights along the living room and kitchen walls bring in additional light, which balances the sources with both horizontal and vertical. Ceiling heights are modulated based on the hierarchy of spaces, hence highest for maximum spaciousness at the waterside living areas and master bedroom.
The kitchen, dining, and living room are open and connected as a 'free plan,' while the bedrooms and family room are zoned to one side and distinctly connected with their own hallway. Aside from the master bedroom, there is a guest bedroom and a bunk room for the kids, which can sleep seven. At the end of the hall is a sofa-centric family room for watching TV, playing games, and overflow sleepovers. Oriented to the south and north, it intentionally has light and views in two directions.
The house's exterior is horizontal wood siding painted white, which is a reference to beach houses that have traditionally been white. The color also fully renders the form of the house in the natural light. White walls set against dark-framed windows evoke a distinctly modern appearance. A multi-leveled flat roof establishes a sense of casual modernism with calm, clean lines and simple sculpted forms.
Key materials include concrete floors with radiant heat, painted sheetrock walls, and wood ceilings. The kitchen is custom by Henrybuilt, and the living room seating is custom-designed to fit the space, make the most of the views, and draw the family together.
