Photo of a farmhouse full sun stone landscaping in San Francisco.

Klopf Architecture and Outer space Landscape Architects designed a new warm, modern, open, indoor-outdoor home in Los Altos, California. Inspired by mid-century modern homes but looking for something completely new and custom, the owners, a couple with two children, bought an older ranch style home with the intention of replacing it. Created on a grid, the house is designed to be at rest with differentiated spaces for activities; living, playing, cooking, dining and a piano space. The low-sloping gable roof over the great room brings a grand feeling to the space. The clerestory windows at the high sloping roof make the grand space light and airy. Upon entering the house, an open atrium entry in the middle of the house provides light and nature to the great room. The Heath tile wall at the back of the atrium blocks direct view of the rear yard from the entry door for privacy. The bedrooms, bathrooms, play room and the sitting room are under flat wing-like roofs that balance on either side of the low sloping gable roof of the main space. Large sliding glass panels and pocketing glass doors foster openness to the front and back yards. In the front there is a fenced-in play space connected to the play room, creating an indoor-outdoor play space that could change in use over the years. The play room can also be closed off from the great room with a large pocketing door. In the rear, everything opens up to a deck overlooking a pool where the family can come together outdoors. Wood siding travels from exterior to interior, accentuating the indoor-outdoor nature of the house. Where the exterior siding doesn’t come inside, a palette of white oak floors, white walls, walnut cabinetry, and dark window frames ties all the spaces together to create a uniform feeling and flow throughout the house. The custom cabinetry matches the minimal joinery of the rest of the house, a trim-less, minimal appearance. Wood siding was mitered in the corners, including where siding meets the interior drywall. Wall materials were held up off the floor with a minimal reveal. This tight detailing gives a sense of cleanliness to the house. The garage door of the house is completely flush and of the same material as the garage wall, de-emphasizing the garage door and making the street presentation of the house kinder to the neighborhood. The house is akin to a custom, modern-day Eichler home in many ways. Inspired by mid-century modern homes with today’s materials, approaches, standards, and technologies. The goals were to create an indoor-outdoor home that was energy-efficient, light and flexible for young children to grow. This 3,000 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom new house is located in Los Altos in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, and Chuang-Ming Liu 
Landscape Architect: Outer space Landscape Architects 
Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers 
Staging: Da Lusso Design 
Photography ©2018 Mariko Reed 
Location: Los Altos, CA
 Year completed: 2017

This lovely little modern farmhouse is located at the base of the foothills in one of Boulder’s most prized neighborhoods. Tucked onto a challenging narrow lot, this inviting and sustainably designed 2400 sf., 4 bedroom home lives much larger than its compact form. The open floor plan and vaulted ceilings of the Great room, kitchen and dining room lead to a beautiful covered back patio and lush, private back yard. These rooms are flooded with natural light and blend a warm Colorado material palette and heavy timber accents with a modern sensibility. A lyrical open-riser steel and wood stair floats above the baby grand in the center of the home and takes you to three bedrooms on the second floor. The Master has a covered balcony with exposed beamwork & warm Beetle-kill pine soffits, framing their million-dollar view of the Flatirons. Its simple and familiar style is a modern twist on a classic farmhouse vernacular. The stone, Hardie board siding and standing seam metal roofing create a resilient and low-maintenance shell. The alley-loaded home has a solar-panel covered garage that was custom designed for the family’s active & athletic lifestyle (aka “lots of toys”). The front yard is a local food & water-wise Master-class, with beautiful rain-chains delivering roof run-off straight to the family garden.

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The homeowner felt closed-in with a small entry to the kitchen which blocked off all visual and audio connections to the rest of the first floor. The small and unimportant entry to the kitchen created a bottleneck of circulation between rooms. Our goal was to create an open connection between 1st floor rooms, make the kitchen a focal point and improve general circulation. We removed the major wall between the kitchen & dining room to open up the site lines and expose the full extent of the first floor. We created a new cased opening that framed the kitchen and made the rear Palladian style windows a focal point. White cabinetry was used to keep the kitchen bright and a sharp contrast against the wood floors and exposed brick. We painted the exposed wood beams white to highlight the hand-hewn character. The open kitchen has created a social connection throughout the entire first floor. The communal effect brings this family of four closer together for all occasions. The island table has become the hearth where the family begins and ends there day. It's the perfect room for breaking bread in the most casual and communal way.

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Rift-sawn white oak cabinetry was carried all the way to the 10-foot ceilings, maximizing storage while adding natural texture. A large island anchors the kitchen, while small appliances are tucked neatly behind pocket doors in a concealed appliance garage. Paneled refrigeration and dishwashing units maintain an uninterrupted flow of material, making the space appear larger, and Taj Mahal quartzite countertops extend seamlessly up the wall as a backsplash. A subtle shadow line detail on the island countertop adds modern refinement.

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