HOUSE IN THE TREES: How To Make A Cohesive Space
At the start of each project there is an initial phase where research and development takes place in order to help define the design direction. This is a crucial phase that helps to lay the foundation for a successful project, and it is in understanding what key elements must be factored in that a cohesive design can be formed.
When starting our House In The Trees project there were a few important factors that needed to be considered. The first was the home’s setting, and another was the functional needs for the family.
This four-story A-frame home is nestled within a canyon of redwood trees, offering views from all sides of the house. We wanted to enhance this feeling for both daytime and nighttime enjoyment. We carefully considered lighting and how to create a balance for nighttime ambiance while having restraint on where window coverings were placed and where they were not in order to max out views of the redwoods during the day.
A sculptural Living Room chandelier that did not obstruct the views, but created nighttime ambiance
We left this wall of windows window covering free to enhance the sense of place, and utilized different forms of lighting as seen with this floor lamp and wall sconce
A Living Room sitting nook for game time and music enjoyment
A view of the Dining Room where light fixtures where placed to create a balanced nighttime ambiance
A view from the Kitchen
Another way we paid tribute to the surroundings was by designing with a palette reflective of what could be found amongst the landscape. This can be seen with the rich textures, the material selections and the color palette that was utilized.
Natural strapping detail from the backs of the Dining Room chairs
The Kitchen backsplash has textured white tile on the vertical paired with this paneled island detail to create a vertical rhythm that nodded towards the verticality of the redwoods
Rich textured mohair fabric for the Living Room sofa with a subtle patterned pillow
Green tile was selected for the Living Room fireplace surround to mimic the surrounding redwoods
Another important factor that needed considering was that this was a family home and so there were different functionality needs that needed to be met. One of these being that the parents wanted to have somewhere they could go when the kids had friends over. We turned the room off of their Master Bedroom into a sitting room and added a built-in bar.
We created a Master Sitting Room that could be closed off for privacy when the kids had friends over
A built-in bar was created alongside a built-in bookshelf, all walls were covered in a suede wallpaper to help in creating a cozy den type of setting
We added swivel chairs upholstered in a mohair fabric with alpaca pillows
Each project is unique in its own way, whether it be from its surroundings or the functional needs to be considered. It is always fun to see how the design unfolds as these components are considered!
