This coastal California house, designed for a Danish consul and his wife, was built as a weekend getaway and a venue for informal entertaining.  Sited on a sloping lot which opens to spectacular downslope views over the Pacific Ocean, the house gently backs into an existing grove of redwood trees, thus providing intimacy and a “deep woods” feeling toward the rear of the house.  The design embodies a Nordic sensibility to light, material, and lifestyle, while respecting the architectural forms and rustic materiality characteristic of the famed Sea Ranch design tradition.

The primary living areas of the house are oriented toward the coast, and the design maximizes panoramic views to the ocean by providing a clear span of glass along the ocean-facing façade.  The effect is profoundly ethereal, like that of “floating” above the water.  Other large windows are carefully positioned along the side and rear façade walls to provide focused views from both living and sleeping areas back into the forest canopy behind the house.  Panels of translucent glass provide privacy where needed while not limiting daylight.

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Photography

Marion Brenner

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