Contractor: Bill Robinson
Structural Engineer: Santee Engineering
Photography: César Béjar Studio
The Country Squire Renovation seeks to create a more cohesive and contemporary experience within the shell of a large, more traditional brick and cast stone house. On the ground floor, the design removes existing walls separating the living, dining, and kitchen to create a more connected and continuous open space. Rough sawn wood beams above the living room define the central space in a more subtle manner. Folding glass doors at the north side of the living space open completely to connect this central gathering area to the pool and garden beyond.
The existing home possessed an idiosyncratic collection of decorative materials and spaces collaged together over time. In response, the new design offers continuity through a unified pallet of warm neutral materials. White oak floors and thick wood treads at the stair provide a sense of warmth and softness underfoot. White travertine and rough sawn oak beams offer subtle textures that consistently emerge throughout the house. While the new design offers cohesion through materials, it aspires to offer an increased sense of variety through spatial conditions.
Where the existing home relied on flat ceilings of uniform height at each floor, the new design utilizes variations in the overhead planes to create unique spatial conditions, define thresholds, and increase access to natural light. At the corner of the sitting room, a triangular skylight brings soft light for reading onto the lounge chair below. As one ascends the stairs, the ceiling above opens to an expansive vaulted space, creating a lofty space and a grand entry. Within the primary bathroom, the profile of the ceiling traces the line of the roof above, offering unexpected height at the home’s most private moment. Skylights allow soft natural light from above to reflect off the canted surfaces toward the vanity and shower below.