The design for this home in Palo Alto looked to create a union between the interior and exterior, blending the spaces in such a way as to allow residents to move seamlessly between the two environments. Expansive glazing was used throughout the home to complement this union, looking out onto a swimming pool centrally located within the courtyard. Within the living room, a large operable skylight brings in plentiful sunlight, while utilizing self tinting glass that adjusts to various lighting conditions throughout the day to ensure optimal comfort. For the exterior, a living wall was added to the garage that continues into the backyard. Extensive landscaping and a gabion wall was also created to provide privacy and contribute to the sense of the home as a tranquil oasis.

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/expanded-opportunities/

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/balancing-act/

This home was featured in the January 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/designer-at-home-loft-living-in-sarasota/

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/coastal-chic-2016/

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/coastal-craftsman/

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/sunshine-mid-century/

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/balancing-act/

Virginia AIA Honor Award for Excellence in Residential Design | This house is designed around the simple concept of placing main living spaces and private bedrooms in separate volumes, and linking the two wings with a well-organized kitchen. In doing so, the southern living space becomes a pavilion that enjoys expansive glass openings and a generous porch. Maintaining a geometric self-confidence, this front pavilion possesses the simplicity of a barn, while its large, shadowy openings suggest shelter from the elements and refuge within. The interior is fitted with reclaimed elm flooring and vertical grain white oak for windows, bookcases, cabinets, and trim. The same cypress used on the exterior comes inside on the back wall and ceiling. Belgian linen drapes pocket behind the bookcases, and windows are glazed with energy-efficient, triple-pane, R-11 Low-E glass.

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/expanded-opportunities/

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/serene-sanctuary/

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/sarasota-crown-jewel/

Virginia AIA Honor Award for Excellence in Residential Design | Vernacular geometries and contemporary openness. This house is designed around the simple concept of placing main living spaces and private bedrooms in separate volumes, and linking the two wings with a well-organized kitchen. In doing so, the southern living space becomes a pavilion that enjoys expansive glass openings and a generous porch. Maintaining a geometric self-confidence, this front pavilion possesses the simplicity of a barn, while its large, shadowy openings suggest shelter from the elements and refuge within. The south porch is shaded and screened with a cypress lattice wall. The western aspect is nothing but sky and field, as the house is sited to capitalize on the expansive, beautiful, and simple meeting of sky and grass.

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/cordial-contemporary/

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/art-in-architecture/

This home was featured in the January 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/beauty-exemplified-british-west-indies-style/

This home was featured in the May 2016 edition of HOME & DESIGN Magazine. To see the rest of the home tour as well as other luxury homes featured, visit http://www.homeanddesign.net/classically-comfortable/

Virginia AIA Honor Award for Excellence in Residential Design | This house is designed around the simple concept of placing main living spaces and private bedrooms in separate volumes, and linking the two wings with a well-organized kitchen. In doing so, the southern living space becomes a pavilion that enjoys expansive glass openings and a generous porch. Maintaining a geometric self-confidence, this front pavilion possesses the simplicity of a barn, while its large, shadowy openings suggest shelter from the elements and refuge within. High windows in the bathrooms provide a feeling of privacy without the need for window treatments or shades. The black granite sink floats over white oak storage.

The way one chooses to maintain one's garden is an important element of design. One option is to leave intact last year's growth on warm-season grasses for their sculptural quality. We love how the native Meadow Petunia fills in all the gaps, while the Black Eyed Susans provide bright and bold contrast to the mix. We call these gardens "living landscapes" because the native plants they contain seed off and change locations from year to year in a dynamic, dramatic show. The gardener becomes audience, director, and dramaturge--all in one--rather than one who tightly controls the results. (What is a dramaturge, one might ask if their friends are not in the theater?) Oxford languages explains: "1. a dramatist. 2. a literary editor on the staff of a theater who consults with authors and edits texts." In living landscapes, the native plants become a sort of text which the gardener edits in order to shape the unfolding drama for the current and next season. The gardener chooses where to pull back overly assertive plants, when to nudge forward the under-confident actor waiting to shine, when to let the mystery unfold and surprise. It is not laissez-faire or "what will be will be"--rather, it is an ongoing movement rooted in observation and reflection. This is the living landscape we strive to design and build at The Natural Garden.