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59 Northern California Homes Designing a home here is never dull. There is a spirit of innovation and a risk-tolerant mindset that allows architects and designers to push the envelope. With a strong diversity of people and ideas, a rich Gold Rush history, and an agricultural bounty, Northern California is unlike any other place in the world. Northern California has a casual yet refined architectural style that defines the region. It shies away f rom formality and Old-World European aesthetics as much as it does the ultra-modern white-box look of Hollywood. You'll find a simpler, more sophisticated style that favors indoor-outdoor living. As you take in the engaging homes on the following pages, keep this in mind, and notice the large walls of opening-glass doors and deep overhangs that offer sun protection, gardens and landscaped grounds that are responsive to the region, and the use of finished materials that flow f rom inside to the outside. These elements all play off of the the area's natural features. With those elements also comes influences f rom midcentury modern style, Bay Area shingle style, Central Valley's comfortable ranch- style homes, casual "modern agrarian barn" styles, and the Sierra Mountain styles. Dramatic topography, the effects of climate change, an increase in wildfires, and state energy codes can present an array of challenges. These issues prompt us to think outside the box and helps raise the bar for problem solving. A broad range of climate zones can sometimes be difficult, but also allow us to embrace indoor- outdoor lifestyles in regions that include the coast and inland adjacent mountains, the expansive flat agricultural Central Valley, the low elevation Sierra Foothills, and the high Sierra's forested mountains. The diverse geography provides unlimited opportunities to design homes and outdoor landscape environments that uniquely respond to their specific locations. Gary Orr ORR Design Office East Bay and Sacramento, CA See page xxx

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