A Tuscan style villa was beautifully transformed into a modern ranch house by Ken Linsteadt Architects, located in the Sonoma wine country landscape, California. Entitled “In Plein Air”, the inspiration for this project was the homeowner’s reclaimed timber business, Restoration Timber. An earthy natural palette was selected, which included recycled oak, steel windows, hand-troweled plaster and poured concrete.
The home is ultra-inviting, from the exquisite steps leading up to the entryway to the towering oak trees, the home melds into its surrounding environment. The windows throughout this 5,000 square foot three bedroom, four bathroom home are by California-based Jada Windows, consisting of thermally broken steel. The interiors of this wonderful home were designed by St. Helena-based Erin Martin Design, who also custom designed much of the furnishing and light fixtures.
According to the architect, “the reconfigured floor plan of the house includes a timber catwalk around a double-height living room. The kitchen, was relocated to the opposite side of the home, which opens onto a new pool terrace with an oversized steel-and-glass tilt-up window. The window plays double-duty as a canopy over the outdoor bar, allowing for year-round enjoyment of the indoor-outdoor space.”
Above: The entryway features an “Inswing Door” by Jada Windows, which swings into the room and is hinged at the side of the door. The use of salvaged wood begins at the point of entry, helping to change the face of the existing home.
Above: The walls throughout the interiors are Venetian plaster, while the floors are White Oak sourced from First, Last and Always.
Above: The double height living room is the showpiece of this home, whose inspiration takes cue from Italian masterpiece Villa Rotonda. The column lamps were sourced from Bourgeois Boheme. The chandelier was custom designed by the designer of this project, Erin Martin. Larger pieces of furnishings were used to ground the space. The sofas were sourced from Axel Wervoordt. The living room dimensions are 24′-3″ x 24′-3″ x 17′-6″ high.
To bring down the height of the space, the architect increased the size of the clerestory windows and added a horseshoe-shaped catwalk. From atop the catwalk, you can see the backyard swimming pool and views that stretch all the way to the San Francisco skyline. You can also see the tops of the oak trees, which helps to invite nature inside.
What We Love: This modern ranch house is exquisite, we are loving the spiral staircase, the catwalk, the wood flooring, and the wood ceiling beams! We are also admiring the beautiful garage door that opens up the kitchen to the outside bar. The dreamy master bedroom with its wrap-around windows that illuminates the space with natural light and invites nature inside.. Quite simple stunning!… Readers, what do you think of the overall design of this reimagined home, is it a success? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Note: Have a look at a couple of our most favorite home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign from the portfolio of Ken Lindstead Architects: French country inspired farmhouse in California: Stone Maison and Chic modern farmhouse style in Mill Valley, California.
Above: The sculptural spiral staircase leads up to the catwalk and also travels down one level to a spacious basement level home gym.
Above: The focal point in the kitchen is the plaster hood adorned with a giant nailhead trim designed by artist Michael Dute. The island countertop is comprised of concrete, sourced from Flying Turtle Concrete. The bar stools are from Lawson-Fenning, Los Angeles. The pendant fixtures illuminating the island are from Lucca Antiques.
Above: The tilt-up window was sourced from Sierra Woods in Nevada City, California. The outdoor bar countertop material is concrete by Flying Turtle Concrete.
Above: On one side of the kitchen is this cozy screened-in porch. The sofas were sourced from Axel Verroordt, while the coffee table is from Van Den Akker Antiques.
Above: The dining room is on the opposite side of the kitchen, connected to the outdoors by “Inswing Doors” sourced from Jada Windows. The design for this space was to cater to both formal and casual affairs. The woven chairs (Joshua Tree Dining Chair from Ralph Lauren Home) help to keep the space feeling more casual, while the dining table was crafted in segments. There are also several lanterns hanging from the ceiling, this way, when the tables are pulled apart, they can illuminate several tables.
Above: The master bedroom feels like a retreat, designed in a soothing neutral color palette. With wrap-around windows, the colors of nature takes centerstage. The area rug
Photos: Courtesy of Ken Linsteadt Architects
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