Tour A Relaxing Retreat with Contemporary and Farmhouse Elements
Known for reinterpreting the classic country vacation home for contemporary clients, Luke and Ani Wade of Wade Design Architects recently designed a compelling retreat for a young family in Sonoma County. The property is a comfortable space for hosting, and includes areas for both formal and informal gatherings. Each area offers easy access to the outdoors through a functional and spacious layout, porches that run parallel to the house, and large glass doors that double as modern windows. Here, discover the peaceful, wine-country estate.
Indoors, the layout is fairly open, with a central axis that runs through the center of the home and extends outward on both ends. High, beamed ceilings enhance the large scale of the space.
Off the kitchen, a porch area includes both a fixed screen wall and a pocketing screen; the clients had loved a screened-in porch at a vacation property of theirs, and they wanted the same kind of space here. The version that Wade Design Architects created gives the clients flexibility to decide whether or not to fully open up to the outdoors based on weather and mosquitoes.
Although the clients and architects wanted wooden materials that would match the country aesthetic of the property, they opted for painted cement board from Boral that would resemble wood siding and protect against wildfires. Nickel-gap detailing helps the siding to stand out, and the shadowed spaces between the boards run parallel to the tall, gridded glass doors, which offer an unconventional, contemporary take on traditional farmhouse styles. At the base of the home and surrounding buildings, full-dimension stone was used to integrate the exterior with the retaining walls.
The architects used a mix of plank oak wood, stained concrete, and limestone flooring throughout the space.
The dining room opens up toward the back of the house, where the retaining wall is visible, as the property is situated on a hillside. The architects worked to create texture and visual appeal in the retaining wall, so that it wouldn't detract from the beauty of the estate. Oversized cased openings imitate an open concept layout while still separating each space.
Stone chimneys help establish a relationship between the materials of the interior and those of the exterior.
The living, kitchen, and dining areas of the main house all open up to the porches outside.
A mix of natural materials creates a cozy, intimate aesthetic in this bedroom.
Porches run in front and back of the estate, allowing the family to enjoy the panoramic views, including glimpses of the San Francisco Bay; the roof also offers shade and mitigates glare. "Getting outside and enjoying the beautiful wine country climate is a theme in many of our projects," say the architects.
Stone-wrapped columns support a wood shade trellis at the poolhouse. The trellis also helps to visually connect the pool area to the main house.
Tour A Relaxing Retreat with Contemporary and Farmhouse Elements
Known for reinterpreting the classic country vacation home for contemporary clients, Luke and Ani Wade of Wade Design Architects recently designed a compelling retreat for a young family in Sonoma County. The property is a comfortable space for hosting, and includes areas for both formal and informal gatherings. Each area offers easy access to the outdoors through a functional and spacious layout, porches that run parallel to the house, and large glass doors that double as modern windows. Here, discover the peaceful, wine-country estate.
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