A couple with three small children
asked architect Andy Neumann and designer Peter Carlson to give them
an oceanfront house that was "practical, Japanese, and beachy,"
using natural materials to achieve a feeling of warmth and comfort.
To shield the house from its neighbors, Neumann pushed solid walls
to the edge of the lot and used a sinuous gallery and spinal wall
to separate living spaces on one side from bedrooms on the other.
"The site dictated what we could and couldn't do," he observes,
"and the curved wall is like the backbone of the house, pulling
together the trapezoidal rooms that radiate from it."
The house conceals its intentions, and the ocean view, from the grassy
arrival court. You see nothing but an expanse of patina copper over
the garage, a translucent window, and a projecting wall beside the
entry drawing you inside. The sinuous curve of this wall echoes that
of the beach it overlooks. Natural light floods in for expansive windows
at the south end, which wrap around one corner and open onto a redwood
deck. The glare off the ocean is balanced by an elliptical clerestory
that projects up from the flat roof. For Neumann, "It suggests
the strip of sky over the wall that shelters the inner patio in a
traditional Spanish house." It also becomes an integral element
of the interior as it casts a constantly shifting loop of sunlight
on the wall, creating a sparkle in the flecks of mica embedded in
the stone.
Carlson had designed a restaurant for the client and he became involved
at an early stage of the design, helping to select materials and a
palette that would achieve a sense of unity and flow within the 5,100-square-foot
house. He worked with the architect and client to select raked Cluny
gris French limestone for the walls, and mahogany (from sustainable
forests) for the floor, cabinetry, and a central boat-like pod that
contains the panty and laundry room. The juxtaposition of rough and
smooth, flat and curved surfaces reinforces the feeling that you've
walked into a seashell.
The client asked for cotton upholstery to accommodate kids in wet
bathing suits and the relaxed lifestyle of a beach house, and Carlson
picked neutral sand and putty tones for the fabrics and carpets. Subtle
textures enrich the simplicity of the living areas, and low-key furnishings
are enlivened by whimsical accents, including a mantel in the form
of a vintage surfboard, and an early-nineteenth-century French chandelier
of turned wood spools. A few one-of-a-kind pieces are strategically
placed throughout, notable a 1930s French daybed, with a circular
back panel covered in shagreen, which occupies a niche in front of
a window that frames a walled Japanese garden.
In the master bedroom, Carlson has paid homage to legendary European
designers. The custom-designed sleigh bed has swiveling side tables
inspired by Pierre Chareau, a floor lamp is modeled on the designs
of Jean Royere, and a pulley system on the fireplace owes a debt to
Carlo Scarpa. A spiral steel stair leads up to a small mezzanine-level
study, simply furnished with a Depression Moderne oak desk and chair.
Neumann and Carlson have created an appealing mix of serenity and
informality, understated refinement and outdoor living – plus
one delightful surprise. The architect remembered how, as a small
boy growing up in Holland, he used a cardboard periscope to look over
the heads of the crowd and watch the queen ride by. Here, he has re-created
that periscope on a large scale to bring light and a glimpse of the
ocean to the guest bedroom at the back of the site.
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