Rustic and refined meet to give a mountaintop home in Portola Valley, California, classic charm. They say the best things in life come to those who wait. So when a Bay Area couple purchased a rare set of adjoining lots overlooking Windy Hill in Portola Valley, they made frequent visits to the site where they absorbed the views while listening to the land as they contemplated building a home there. The intent: to create a home that would celebrate the scenic beauty of the San Mateo County region. Long before the design process began, the couple committed themselves to preserving as many trees on the land as possible. These trees, two majestic, centuries-old Blue Oaks in particular, ultimately became the impetus for the home’s orientation and the inspiration for its design. Detailed discussions and brainstorming sessions led the owners to discover their own unique tastes: “cozy” and “rustic“ while “contemporary, but not minimal.” The result? Sophisticated style comprised of simple, honest materials.

Pacific Gate is one of the newest luxury condominiums in San Diego Downtown with waterfront views and is known for its iconic curvy design. With a curvy exterior the interior also needed to reflect these lines. This plan in particular has a curvy open space for the main living spaces and for many people it is hard to visualize these spaces. When brainstorming for this specific staging we wanted to show that it was possible to have a TV in the Living Room while still have a nice view flow through areas providing a space to still interact. In order to achieve that we went with streamline and low furniture giving a contemporary look. The space plan was designed with the sofa was floating facing the TV with seating areas on both sides. This layout shows people how they can either enjoy the view, TV watching, or both! For the Dining Table we used an oval shape similar to the curviness of the building, after all the staging and building needed to speak as one.

Rustic and refined meet to give a mountaintop home in Portola Valley, California, classic charm. They say the best things in life come to those who wait. So when a Bay Area couple purchased a rare set of adjoining lots overlooking Windy Hill in Portola Valley, they made frequent visits to the site where they absorbed the views while listening to the land as they contemplated building a home there. The intent: to create a home that would celebrate the scenic beauty of the San Mateo County region. Long before the design process began, the couple committed themselves to preserving as many trees on the land as possible. These trees, two majestic, centuries-old Blue Oaks in particular, ultimately became the impetus for the home’s orientation and the inspiration for its design. Detailed discussions and brainstorming sessions led the owners to discover their own unique tastes: “cozy” and “rustic“ while “contemporary, but not minimal.” The result? Sophisticated style comprised of simple, honest materials.

Architect: Michelle Penn, AIA This barn home is modeled after an existing Nebraska barn in Lancaster County. Heating is by passive solar design, supplemented by a geothermal radiant floor system which is located under the wood floors in the hall. The railings are made from goat fencing and walls are tongue and groove pine. Photo Credits: Jackson Studios

Pacific Gate is one of the newest luxury condominiums in San Diego Downtown with waterfront views and is known for its iconic curvy design. With a curvy exterior the interior also needed to reflect these lines. This plan in particular has a curvy open space for the main living spaces and for many people it is hard to visualize these spaces. When brainstorming for this specific staging we wanted to show that it was possible to have a TV in the Living Room while still have a nice view flow through areas providing a space to still interact. In order to achieve that we went with streamline and low furniture giving a contemporary look. The space plan was designed with the sofa was floating facing the TV with seating areas on both sides. This layout shows people how they can either enjoy the view, TV watching, or both! For the Dining Table we used an oval shape similar to the curviness of the building, after all the staging and building needed to speak as one.

Open concept kitchen - mid-sized cottage l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen idea in Orange County with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Rustic and refined meet to give a mountaintop home in Portola Valley, California, classic charm. They say the best things in life come to those who wait. So when a Bay Area couple purchased a rare set of adjoining lots overlooking Windy Hill in Portola Valley, they made frequent visits to the site where they absorbed the views while listening to the land as they contemplated building a home there. The intent: to create a home that would celebrate the scenic beauty of the San Mateo County region. Long before the design process began, the couple committed themselves to preserving as many trees on the land as possible. These trees, two majestic, centuries-old Blue Oaks in particular, ultimately became the impetus for the home’s orientation and the inspiration for its design. Detailed discussions and brainstorming sessions led the owners to discover their own unique tastes: “cozy” and “rustic“ while “contemporary, but not minimal.” The result? Sophisticated style comprised of simple, honest materials.

Rustic and refined meet to give a mountaintop home in Portola Valley, California, classic charm. They say the best things in life come to those who wait. So when a Bay Area couple purchased a rare set of adjoining lots overlooking Windy Hill in Portola Valley, they made frequent visits to the site where they absorbed the views while listening to the land as they contemplated building a home there. The intent: to create a home that would celebrate the scenic beauty of the San Mateo County region. Long before the design process began, the couple committed themselves to preserving as many trees on the land as possible. These trees, two majestic, centuries-old Blue Oaks in particular, ultimately became the impetus for the home’s orientation and the inspiration for its design. Detailed discussions and brainstorming sessions led the owners to discover their own unique tastes: “cozy” and “rustic“ while “contemporary, but not minimal.” The result? Sophisticated style comprised of simple, honest materials.

Rustic and refined meet to give a mountaintop home in Portola Valley, California, classic charm. They say the best things in life come to those who wait. So when a Bay Area couple purchased a rare set of adjoining lots overlooking Windy Hill in Portola Valley, they made frequent visits to the site where they absorbed the views while listening to the land as they contemplated building a home there. The intent: to create a home that would celebrate the scenic beauty of the San Mateo County region. Long before the design process began, the couple committed themselves to preserving as many trees on the land as possible. These trees, two majestic, centuries-old Blue Oaks in particular, ultimately became the impetus for the home’s orientation and the inspiration for its design. Detailed discussions and brainstorming sessions led the owners to discover their own unique tastes: “cozy” and “rustic“ while “contemporary, but not minimal.” The result? Sophisticated style comprised of simple, honest materials.

Corner shower - mid-sized transitional master gray tile and matchstick tile marble floor and white floor corner shower idea in Dallas with a vessel sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite countertops, a one-piece toilet and gray walls

Rustic and refined meet to give a mountaintop home in Portola Valley, California, classic charm. They say the best things in life come to those who wait. So when a Bay Area couple purchased a rare set of adjoining lots overlooking Windy Hill in Portola Valley, they made frequent visits to the site where they absorbed the views while listening to the land as they contemplated building a home there. The intent: to create a home that would celebrate the scenic beauty of the San Mateo County region. Long before the design process began, the couple committed themselves to preserving as many trees on the land as possible. These trees, two majestic, centuries-old Blue Oaks in particular, ultimately became the impetus for the home’s orientation and the inspiration for its design. Detailed discussions and brainstorming sessions led the owners to discover their own unique tastes: “cozy” and “rustic“ while “contemporary, but not minimal.” The result? Sophisticated style comprised of simple, honest materials.

Rustic and refined meet to give a mountaintop home in Portola Valley, California, classic charm. They say the best things in life come to those who wait. So when a Bay Area couple purchased a rare set of adjoining lots overlooking Windy Hill in Portola Valley, they made frequent visits to the site where they absorbed the views while listening to the land as they contemplated building a home there. The intent: to create a home that would celebrate the scenic beauty of the San Mateo County region. Long before the design process began, the couple committed themselves to preserving as many trees on the land as possible. These trees, two majestic, centuries-old Blue Oaks in particular, ultimately became the impetus for the home’s orientation and the inspiration for its design. Detailed discussions and brainstorming sessions led the owners to discover their own unique tastes: “cozy” and “rustic“ while “contemporary, but not minimal.” The result? Sophisticated style comprised of simple, honest materials.

Pacific Gate is one of the newest luxury condominiums in San Diego Downtown with waterfront views and is known for its iconic curvy design. With a curvy exterior the interior also needed to reflect these lines. This plan in particular has a curvy open space for the main living spaces and for many people it is hard to visualize these spaces. When brainstorming for this specific staging we wanted to show that it was possible to have a TV in the Living Room while still have a nice view flow through areas providing a space to still interact. In order to achieve that we went with streamline and low furniture giving a contemporary look. The space plan was designed with the sofa was floating facing the TV with seating areas on both sides. This layout shows people how they can either enjoy the view, TV watching, or both! For the Dining Table we used an oval shape similar to the curviness of the building, after all the staging and building needed to speak as one.

For 6 years we lived with an ugly, out of scale builders grade mantel that I couldn't wait to tear out! Turns out it made the perfect support for my new custom, one of a kind mantel. I conceived, designed and had this piece built onsite by my favorite carpenter. I wanted it to look like a continuous piece of wood that wrapped around on the edges, like I had seen done on benches, but with a live edge on the bottom not the top. When brainstorming it I couldn't find ONE image of anything close to my vision (let alone be able to simply purchase a ready made one). This is a hand chosen, stunning Bubinga plank and it's feature is the variegated wood tones - it "goes with" everything! I also had the floating picture frame custom made to make my favorite tree canvas art more in scale with the fireplace and wall. This tree stands next to our fire pit in Door County, WI and is a favorite view we wanted to bring home. The two trunks are antique indonesian pieces. The one on the left holds my firewood in the winter and the one on the right is the perfect place to store all of the media components. Cathy Zaeske

Rustic and refined meet to give a mountaintop home in Portola Valley, California, classic charm. They say the best things in life come to those who wait. So when a Bay Area couple purchased a rare set of adjoining lots overlooking Windy Hill in Portola Valley, they made frequent visits to the site where they absorbed the views while listening to the land as they contemplated building a home there. The intent: to create a home that would celebrate the scenic beauty of the San Mateo County region. Long before the design process began, the couple committed themselves to preserving as many trees on the land as possible. These trees, two majestic, centuries-old Blue Oaks in particular, ultimately became the impetus for the home’s orientation and the inspiration for its design. Detailed discussions and brainstorming sessions led the owners to discover their own unique tastes: “cozy” and “rustic“ while “contemporary, but not minimal.” The result? Sophisticated style comprised of simple, honest materials.

Rustic and refined meet to give a mountaintop home in Portola Valley, California, classic charm. They say the best things in life come to those who wait. So when a Bay Area couple purchased a rare set of adjoining lots overlooking Windy Hill in Portola Valley, they made frequent visits to the site where they absorbed the views while listening to the land as they contemplated building a home there. The intent: to create a home that would celebrate the scenic beauty of the San Mateo County region. Long before the design process began, the couple committed themselves to preserving as many trees on the land as possible. These trees, two majestic, centuries-old Blue Oaks in particular, ultimately became the impetus for the home’s orientation and the inspiration for its design. Detailed discussions and brainstorming sessions led the owners to discover their own unique tastes: “cozy” and “rustic“ while “contemporary, but not minimal.” The result? Sophisticated style comprised of simple, honest materials.

Rustic and refined meet to give a mountaintop home in Portola Valley, California, classic charm. They say the best things in life come to those who wait. So when a Bay Area couple purchased a rare set of adjoining lots overlooking Windy Hill in Portola Valley, they made frequent visits to the site where they absorbed the views while listening to the land as they contemplated building a home there. The intent: to create a home that would celebrate the scenic beauty of the San Mateo County region. Long before the design process began, the couple committed themselves to preserving as many trees on the land as possible. These trees, two majestic, centuries-old Blue Oaks in particular, ultimately became the impetus for the home’s orientation and the inspiration for its design. Detailed discussions and brainstorming sessions led the owners to discover their own unique tastes: “cozy” and “rustic“ while “contemporary, but not minimal.” The result? Sophisticated style comprised of simple, honest materials.

Pacific Gate is one of the newest luxury condominiums in San Diego Downtown with waterfront views and is known for its iconic curvy design. With a curvy exterior the interior also needed to reflect these lines. This plan in particular has a curvy open space for the main living spaces and for many people it is hard to visualize these spaces. When brainstorming for this specific staging we wanted to show that it was possible to have a TV in the Living Room while still have a nice view flow through areas providing a space to still interact. In order to achieve that we went with streamline and low furniture giving a contemporary look. The space plan was designed with the sofa was floating facing the TV with seating areas on both sides. This layout shows people how they can either enjoy the view, TV watching, or both! For the Dining Table we used an oval shape similar to the curviness of the building, after all the staging and building needed to speak as one.

Pacific Gate is one of the newest luxury condominiums in San Diego Downtown with waterfront views and is known for its iconic curvy design. With a curvy exterior the interior also needed to reflect these lines. This plan in particular has a curvy open space for the main living spaces and for many people it is hard to visualize these spaces. When brainstorming for this specific staging we wanted to show that it was possible to have a TV in the Living Room while still have a nice view flow through areas providing a space to still interact. In order to achieve that we went with streamline and low furniture giving a contemporary look. The space plan was designed with the sofa was floating facing the TV with seating areas on both sides. This layout shows people how they can either enjoy the view, TV watching, or both! For the Dining Table we used an oval shape similar to the curviness of the building, after all the staging and building needed to speak as one.