Modern California Beach House
Architect David Wilson at Berkeley, California, had been on the Search for the perfect plot of land in Stinson Beach for Ages. This little beach community in Northern California is just north of San Francisco in Marin County and is one of those few stretches of usable beach in the area. For Wilson and his wife, Stacia Cronin, it was their dream place for a modern and ecofriendly house.
Finally, they found the ideal place — a south-sloping plot of land with beautiful views of Mount Tamalpais’ ridges and the perfect amount of sunlight for solar energy. There was only 1 problem: They were limited by zoning legislation to 1,400 square feet. However, this is a welcome challenge for Wilson, since it meant minimizing his house’s footprint as far as possible.
at a Glance
Who lives here: David Wilson, Stacia Cronin, and their Labrador, Teton
Location: Stinson Beach, California
Size: 1,400 square feet
That’s interesting: The south-sloping roofline is perfectly located for solar panels, that supply the home’s yearly energy requirements.
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Wilson’s largest design priority was to have whole advantage of the house’s view of Mount Tamalpais, which sits just behind the house. Wilson made a decision to open up the house and employ a clerestory window system and large rooflines, which ensure this magnificent view is completely visible from the house’s great room.
Corrugated Galvalume metal was utilized with cement-board siding to create a solid, clean and inexpensive outside. Wilson and his company did all of those landscaping themselves, implementing local varieties of coastal vegetation.
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A complete wall of windows reveals the living room to one of the mountain ranges just past the house. Engineered timber ceiling decking — salvaged from the old gymnasium at Stanford University — warms up the steel and glass in this area. Ecofriendliness was important, so the house was created to ventilate entirely of course, and concrete flooring and open-cell foam insulation help maintain the temperature.
Chandelier: Foscarini, Lightweight
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A custom built-in seating area functions as a substitute for a space-sucking sofa or armchairs. The plush leather cushions and cushions are incredibly comfortable but let the living room to feel light and open. The coffee table is a bit that Wilson designed specially for this house.
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The colour palette obviously developed as the house’s design progressed. As opposed to deciding on it in the start, Wilson decided to base his design to the way in which the colour of every new substance and finish reacted to the previous ones.
While most of the walls are made from an unfinished and uncolored plaster, the hallway is accomplished in a green integral color plaster, which draws the eye down the hallway toward the stairwell. The green works superbly with the cool grey stone of the fireplace surround.
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Though the house is on a tight bunch, the large windows and clear opinions help it feel open and attached to the outdoors. Wilson attracted more of the organic outdoor elements inside with a custom dining table of their own design. Photos by Wilson and a painting by Chase Wilson add colour to the walls.
Dining seats: Design Within Reach; chandelier: Foscarini, Lightweight
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Quarter-sewn olive ash was used for the kitchen cabinetry. The bar stools are part of a pair that Wilson designed from the 1990s, and they work perfectly with the cabinetry’s mild hue. Pendants from Prandina provide ample lighting to the island workspace and mix in with the space’s modern décor.
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A custom stainless steel hood, top chimney and concrete tiles all reinforce the house’s modern motif, but they have been also chosen for their durable and economical layouts. Granite countertops in an antique finish were also chosen for their durability as well as their aesthetic.
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Wilson shaped the design of the house around a fantastic room, with bedrooms and bathrooms branching off the main area. The connected living room, dining room and kitchen allow for a large and inviting area to host family members and friends who trek out to the beach.
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Instead of cutting down on communal space, Wilson scaled down the size of the bedrooms to fit everything in. They have been designed to fit the necessities: a mattress and little else.
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An solar thermal array was set up around the south-sloping roofline as an efficient means for the house to create its own energy. The roofline has the perfect orientation for this installation, and it is in a position to supply all the energy demands during the year.
Steel manufacturing: Hellikson Design; windows and doors: Blomberg; sinks: Concreteworks; lighting: City Electric, Sunny St. Pierre; cabinets: Richard Klunge; Engineered timber: Crossroads; structural steel: Allen Steel
More Tours:
A Cheerful Beach House for Every Season
Urban Beach Style at Beach Bungalow 8
Design and Surprise at the Hamptons