Sea Ranch Escape

Tucked in between tufts of cypress trees on a jagged cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, an architectural assembly becomes a family vacation home. The home, located in the 1960s planned community of Sea Ranch, shares distinguishing elements with its neighboring buildings — muted hues, vertical wood siding, dramatic views — while giving the clients, a San Francisco-based couple in search of a secluded retreat, details all their own. In the living room, The Siren, a pendant light by David Weeks, guides views back through floor-to-ceiling windows out onto the water, while in the bedroom and family room, smaller openings invite introspective contemplation. Every space expresses the precise desires of the clients, as furniture and finishes interact delicately, in particular in the two office spaces, where the personalities of the couple shine through. In his office, star-fire-glass custom-made desk surface sits atop two steel bases reminiscent of the fins of a turbine engine. In hers, a cushioned window seat suspends anyone who sits in it over the Pacific Coast. An overall effect of soft blurring between light and dark, soft and hard, inside and outside, roots this house— and its inhabitants— in its surroundings.