Marin County House
I like the changing quality of light, the draw of light, the magical properties of light, and especially a balance of light so that as one moves through the layers from inside to out, there is time for the eye to adjust easily.
Designed as a second home for an artist and engineer, this 2,200 SF house with two wings linked by an open-sided, partially open porch was in part inspired by a house the painter visited often as a child. The primary wing contains the main living space — a zoned, open plan for kitchen, living/dining, the master bedroom, a sleeping porch, bath, and laundry. The smaller second wing contains three bedrooms and two baths. Free-standing concrete columns, topped with bronze sculpture, stand along a low wall to frame the gravel entry garden and are intersected by a concrete-and-wood-framed entry trellis. The engineer wryly commented that the house was really built as a gallery for the artist, whose paintings, sculpture, and painted tiles fill the house. Designed while at EHDD Architecture in association with Joe Esherick.
Green Features
- Sited and shaped to maximize daylight and natural ventilation.
- Metal roof, metal windows, and doors with stucco used as primary exterior wall material for fire resistance and low maintenance.
- Low-use water fixtures throughout the house.
- Zoned heating system for each wing of the house to conserve energy.
- Dry garden landscape with no irrigation for water conservation; the garden is designed to remain open to deer.
Project Team
- Builder: James George Lino Construction
- Paintings and Sculpture: Nancy Genn
- Photography: David Wakely