Contractor: TKT Building Group
Structural Engineer: NEXGEN Engineers
Photography: Cameron Blaylock
This minimalist refuge in the heart of the city was designed to offer serenity and peace of mind. Both Scandinavian and Japanese design elements influence the character within this unique home. The project was initiated by former local architects KinneyMorrow and completed by CONTENT. Each office played a role in the design of the house and the spaces that surround it.
The house sits on a property that combines two traditional residential lots. The ample width enables the house to contain generous interior spaces while allocating indulgent outdoor spaces throughout the site. A small rock garden at the front of the house greets visitors as they enter and provides a tranquil view to the exterior. The living and kitchen spaces open to a generous courtyard and pool to the east via a wall of sliding glass doors. At the west side of the property, a second, more tranquil courtyard provides space for a quiet outdoor garden and refuge.
Lightly colored brick walls wrap the public spaces at the ground floor at both the interior and exterior, providing privacy and security from the street. At the upper floor, a long bar clad with a warm ipe wood rainscreen defines the playroom at the top of the skylit stairs and bedrooms that branch off from it. The brick and wood elements interlock to create a cohesive home that articulates distinctions between public and private elements.
Within the home’s interior, brick and wood elements work in combination with a polished concrete surface at the ground floor to define rooms and spaces. These materials offer subtle warm textures in each space and occasionally act as screens that veil the connections from one space to the next. Throughout the house, the materials and natural light offer a quiet sense of comfort to those within.