On a 40-acre tract of land previously logged in the 1800s, the mission was to return the land to its natural state and create a rural retreat. Thoughtful restoration of the land informed the meticulous selection of materials of the home, guesthouse and surrounding landscape. Nothing was to feel deliberately created but rather arise spontaneously out of the land.
Logging roads and flat pad areas were returned to native slopes. The transformed hilltop inspired the architects to create an open air pavilion to engage the sweeping views. Metal and glass panels lift to provide boundless connections to the outdoor spaces and extend the floor plan on both sides of the house. To the north nestled in the native grasslands, the dark plastered pool brings the sky down to earth. To the south, the fire pit patio sits above the sparkling lights of Healdsburg on the valley floor. Detailing of the fire pit and outdoor kitchen play off of the interior finishes to further blur the lines of what is house and what is landscape.
An old logging trail through the woods leads to the guest house, tucked out of site from the main house. Stewardship of the land and its resources though woodland revitalization, extraction of non-native plants, grasslands restoration and rainwater collection for irrigation complete the story of this uncontrived retreat in the Dry Creek Valley.
Credits:
- Jungsten Construction, Inc
- WaterSprout
- Joe Fletcher Photography
- Arterra Landscape Architects - Founding Partner - Kate Stickley
- Arterra Landscape Architects - Partner - Gretchen Whittier
- Feldman Architecture
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