The architecture of this home designed for a young couple is a study in simple composition and refined materiality with an emphasis on craft. The massing defines solid and void, captures natural light, and seeks to ‘experience the outdoors from within’, leveraging the site’s unique asset – a collection of beautiful mature trees.

The ground floor volumes are wrapped in an elongated hand-fired brick, emphasizing the horizontality of the architecture that lays solidly on the land. Wood-slatted ceiling planes slide between the brick masses, and floor-to-ceiling glazed openings are captured by thin-profiled bronze frames. The second-floor volume, clad in glass and distressed stainless steel panels, is conceived of as a light-filled respite nestled among the trees.

An oversized continuous pane of glass runs alongside the grand stairwell of floating stone steps, connecting the three levels of the house. This architecture of movement. helps visitors feel connected to the lush landscape outside as well as reveal the sculptural qualities of the stair within.

On the interior, a custom-designed steel mesh screen wraps around to enclose the kitchen for privacy, separating it from the more public living areas adjacent. The steel screen disappears into the pantry when unused.

A freestanding structure set deep back into the site is a Zen-like fitness/yoga studio as well as a guesthouse with a kitchenette. This dramatic stone mass opens up completely to the landscape and, along with a covered walk, defines an outdoor room in dappled light underneath the canopy of majestic Oaks.