89
HILLSIDE MINIMALIST
Los Gatos, CA
A new home in yet another planned development filled with homes
aspiring to be sited in pre-modern Italy or Spain, this house is a
breath of fresh California air. Spacious rooms seamlessly connect to
outdoor terraces, complemented by expansive glass windows and
doors which erase the line between indoors and out, as the landscape,
the views, and the climate all would prefer. Sizeable raw concrete
walls create a unity between the interior and exterior while also
providing a tactile contrast with the sleek interior finishes. Skylights,
as well as glass floor surfaces opening to the lower level, further
this transparency between in and out in the vertical condition. The
neutral interior finishes allow the spaces to read even more strongly
as architecture, and the very large expanses of glass pour light into
the interior in various ways. Depending on the time of day, the
light alters the feeling and texture of the finishes and, as a result,
the sense of space within the house. The entry side of the house
presents a closed solid façade, while the rear of the house opens
up and expands the living space out into the Silicon Valley below.
Photographs by Bruce Damonte Photography
Designed by Mark Horton / Architecture,
San Francisco, CA, page 214
