Architect | Malcolm Davis Architecture |
Location | Sea Ranch, CA, United States |
Area | 186 m2 (2000 sq.ft.) |
Photographs | Joe Fletcher |
For this newly completed Sea Ranch residence, Malcolm Davis of Malcolm Davis Architecture created a streamlined, modern getaway for a Northern European couple working in the tech industry with hopes of one day living there year round.
The two-bedroom, two-bath home’s thoughtful 2,000 square feet is laid out in juxtaposing pod-like structures connected by a light-filled entryway. In keeping with Malcolm’s distinctive regional style, each volume is reminiscent of the vernacular, barn-like structures found in this iconic California locale, while offering a decidedly modern twist. Given the property’s dramatic seaside location, the house offers sweeping ocean views to the west, while a buffered, protected façade greets the street-facing side abutting busy HWY 1.
The home’s quiet interior material palette consists primarily of simple elements like concrete flooring, plywood walls, and industrial Stonco lighting fixtures. From a sustainability standpoint, the flooring works as a solar, thermal mass, while the strategically positioned windows capture solar gain and operable skylights pull fresh air continually creating a home that passively heats and cools itself. Additional smart, space-saving design decisions like a study space carved out of the massing beneath the staircase allowed the architects to make the house “live” more spaciously. For the exterior facade, cedar hails as the dominant material, interspersed with corrugated cot-ten steel on the entryway volume. The result is an understated, industrial aesthetic—where nothing is precious and the materials have the opportunity to appear in their most natural element—while also satisfying the clients’ desire for a Scandinavian-inspired home in California’s unique Sea Ranch community.