Incredibly stunning OZ Residence in California

The OZ Residence in Silicon Valley, California, designed by Swatt | Miers Architects captures the essence of casual California living with open planning, rich natural materials, and strong visual connection to beautiful gardens designed by landscape architect Ron Herman. The owners, a young couple with two young children, wanted their home to have a casual, barefoot feel, like a vacation destination. Their 2.8 acre site, with gentle slopes to the south and mature landscaping on all sides was the perfect setting to create a home that would fully engage the beautiful landscape. The 10,000 square foot home is organized into a ‘L’ shaped plan with 2 wings joined at a two-story great room. Sheathed in mahogany boards and fully glazed on two sides, this beautiful volume pierced by a floating glass bridge both connects and separates the family and sleeping wings on either side.

The north side includes a motor court, adjacent to an entry courtyard of rectangular stepping- stones over a shallow reflecting pool.

With ceilings and two walls of Honduran mahogany, and two walls of floor-to-ceiling glass, this space recalls the indoor-outdoor lobbies of grand resort hotels in the South Pacific.

The east wing includes the kitchen and family room on the ground floor, with children’s bedrooms located on the upper level. The south wing consists of an office, media room, and guest suite at the lower level, with the master suite located on the second floor. Connecting the two wings is a living / dining ‘great room’, fully glazed on the north and south sides.

A giant heritage oak tree, centered on the main terrace opposite the living room, has been preserved as a special focus, viewed from the entry and main living spaces.

Accessed by glass doors from the living and dining areas, the media room, and the kitchen and family rooms, the south side of the house has been designed for family living, with generous stepped terraces, lawn play areas, a barbeque patio, and a swimming pool.

Photos: Tim Griffith

Eclectic industrial-modern loft in Marina Del Rey

This incredible loft space has been designed by Daleet Spector Design in Marina Del Rey, California. With an eclectic, industrial, modern design style, the home features charming details with high ceilings and a bold color palette. The flooring throughout the main living spaces is polished concrete.

The rolling island has been custom designed to fit the space. The unique light fixture hanging from above is from Restoration Hardware.

The unique wallpaper featured in this bathroom is refreshing and playful, its hand silkscreened using water based inks on recycled paper by artist Geoff McFetridge for Pottock.

High glamour and spectacular views in Pacific Heights

The clients were not in the market for a new residence but when the wife noticed an open house sign she couldn’t resist checking out this condominium in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California. One glance over of the light-filled space which occupies one floor of an Art Deco building with views of every San Francisco landmark from the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz and they were sold. After purchasing the property, designer Candace Cavanaugh was hired to achieve their vision of a quietly elegant decor that focused on the views and provided for a suitable backdrop for their abstract art collection.

The apartment had not undergone any renovations in almost 40 years. The designer worked in collaboration with architect Gary Jerabeck of Architectural Development and contractor Design Line Construction. The space was transformed, leaving the original footprint intact, the project entailed a complete remodeling including new fixtures, tile, hardware, moldings, lighting and wallpaper throughout. The designer also raised the ceilings in the foyer, living room, dining room and library, creating architectural interest that has been further embellished with hand-wrought detailing and moldings.

Cavanaugh repurposed a guest bedroom into a cozy home library and office for the husband (shown above). The space features a distinct masculine neoclassical theme with custom cabinetry finished in a black wash to allow the wood grain to show through; the library shelving is in a classic X-motif and strong statement fabrics such as the zebra-patterned linen velvet chairs by Ralph Lauren and mohair by Christopher Hyland, have been used to highlight the space.

Color choices were selected by using San Francisco’s legendary sunsets and ethereal rolling fog as a continuously changing backdrop, selecting a quiet palette of soft grays, golds and charcoals and translated them into opulent finishes and textural fabrics, with artworks and accent pieces providing pops of color.

The panoramic bay views are the main attraction in the formal dining room. The other units in the building all feature breakfast nooks in the kitchen, but the architect chose to extend the dining room to provide a multipurpose space that encompasses the view.

The homeowners can pass through from the dining room to the butler’s pantry and into the kitchen where a gallery of satiny-back cabinetry with antique mirrored panels frames a scenic bay view. The designer’s choice of opulent finishes, such as the glossy black subway tiles by Waterworks, imparts glamor, while her deer-leg bar stool design is an unexpected design choice in this space.

Photos: Matthew Millman

Contemporary Jackson Street Penthouse in San Francisco

This 1925 Jackson Street Penthouse boasts a complete contemporary remodel in a stately Pacific Heights building in San Francisco, California, designed by De Meza + Architecture and built by Matarozzi Pelsinger Builders. Having only been remodeled a few times the space suffered from an outdated, wall heavy floor plan. Updating the flow was critical to the success of this project. The remodel included the construction of a new elevated roof deck comprised of 1,000 square feet of outdoor living space with a custom spiral staircase which provides a source of natural light as well as a fabulous focal point and a 2,600 square foot “penthouse” that connects the unit to the outdoor space.

The unit has two bedrooms, a den, two baths, a powder room, an updated living and dining area and a new open kitchen that has become the hub for gathering and entertaining. The design highlights the dramatic views to the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge to the north, the views west to the Pacific Ocean and the City to the south.  Finishes include custom stained wood paneling and doors throughout, engineered mahogany flooring with matching mahogany spiral stair treads.  The roof deck is finished with a lava stone and ipe deck and paneling, frameless glass guardrails, a gas fire pit, irrigated planters, an artificial turf dog park and a solar heated cedar hot tub.

Photos: Mariko Reed

Off-grid itHouse takes shelter in the California desert

The Off-Grid itHouse is a design system developed by architecture studio Taalman Koch in Pioneertown, California that utilizes a series of components prefabricated off-site to help better control the construction waste, labor, and quality of the finished product. Conceived as a small house with glass walls and open floor plan, the itHouse maximizes the relationship of the occupant to the surrounding landscape while minimizing the building’s impact on delicate site conditions.

Energy efficiency is achieved in the itHouse through passive heating and cooling, utilizing site orientation and cross ventilation, radiant floor heating, hi-efficacy appliances & equipment and the use of solar photovoltaic & thermal panels.

To further enhance the experience of living in a glass house, a graphic design is mapped to discreet areas of the glass walls, creating framed views, sun-shading screen patterns and privacy zones. Artists Sarah Morris and Liam Gillick custom designed the graphic outfit for the off-grid itHouse.

Photos: Gregg Segal

Tire company warehouse loft conversion in SoMa

CCS Architecture is best known for their modernist creations and interior design firm Woodson & Woodson Interior Design, is not linked to a particular style, but has work that is more traditional in nature. What happens when the two work on a South of Market condominium in San Francisco is an electric combination of aesthetics. The concrete building was originally built in 1926 as a warehouse for the B.F. Goodrich tire company. Although the building was turned into condos in 1996, it retains metal factory-style windows, exposed ductwork and concrete walls and pillars. Via

The homeowners relocated from a larger, more traditional home. Smith chose celebrate the existing style, but reorganize the spaces around a central core. The effect is a doughnut shape where most of the living and entertaining space is in the ring, while the hole, or core, contains office spaces, workout areas, bathrooms and closets. “We chose to put the rooms that don’t require as much light in the center,” says Smith. “The rooms where people gather, like the kitchen and dining room, are built around that.”

The dining room is framed by two large metal support beams. Smith wouldn’t have it any other way. “I like how they define the space,” he says.

The homeowner says that, in her former residence, she had a set of Chippendale chairs around a dining room table. The chairs didn’t work here, so she and Woodson purchased a set of Chippendale-style chairs and had them lacquered, giving the traditional style a fun update.

Smith chose to do the kitchen cabinets and countertops in a muted shade in order to have the area blend into the open space plan. “Because it’s so visible, I didn’t want it to stand out as a separate room,” he says.

The media room is outfitted with four swiveling chairs. They can remain stationary for conversation, or turned toward the television or the living room.

The master bedroom shows how two styles can live in harmony. The baroque bed is flanked by two metal nightstands and sits in front of sleek cabinetry.

Photos: Paul Dyer & Courtesy of CSS Architecture

43 Gorgeous and inspiring interiors by Meridith Baer Home

Meridith Baer is a renowned home staging company based out of Los Angeles, California who shows her talents through house-staging, furnishings, interior design and event interiors on both the West and East coasts. Her design team has been staging ultra-luxurious homes since 1998 with a clientele that includes about 300 celebrities and billionaires. Baer is a former model, actress and Hollywood screenwriter who fashioned her ultimate plot twist at age 50 by reinventing herself as a niche entrepreneur. She has a talent for being a storyteller by entering a home and imagining who might live in it, telling their story with ease and elegance.

Baer’s team is known for its uncanny ability to hand-select furnishings and objects that are exactly what visitors would own if they lived in the home. The selections are made from the firm’s 135,000-square-foot warehouse and include furniture, art, books, silverware and everything needed to bring a lived in, cozy feeling to what are typically large spaces.

Baer’s staff of 70 includes decorators, movers, carpenters and upholsterers. The firm bills a design and installation fee of varying amounts, plus a monthly rental fee if the house sits on the market. Once the home sells, Baer’s items are removed to make way for whatever the new owner or his decorator chooses.

Baer’s design talents range from traditional, transitional, modern, European, coastal, estates, highrises, condos and lofts; which can be seen in this collection of inspiring interiors that are shown below. Please leave us a comment below and let us know what you think of Meridith’s affinity for selecting the perfect furnishings to make a make a home a showstopper.

Photos: Courtesy of Meridith Baer Home

Awe-inspiring LA pad with incredible views

This stunning contemporary home has been designed by La Kaza in collaboration with Meridith Baer Home, located in the prestigious Doheny estates in Los Angeles, California. Upon entrance to this large scale property you are greeted by 12 foot high ceilings, a large scale entertaining space and breathtaking views over the infinity edge, 40 foot saline pool. This LA Basin view, 6,500 square foot home offers five bedrooms, all en-suite, which includes a 1,200 square foot master bedroom with dual walnut wood closets.  Other features include top of the line Bulthaup kitchen with Gaggneau appliances, two guest bathrooms, Boffi bathroom cabinets and tub, screening room, wine tasting room, top of the line Crestron smart systems for security, lighting, climate, entertainment and privacy, video surveillance security systems and three car attached garage.  Incredible views, centralized location, and flawless execution with the finest materials, make this unique property, stunning and awe-inspiring.

Stunning penthouse loft in the heart of SOMA

This spectacular loft spotted on Sotheby’s is situated in the heart of SOMA, San Francisco, California, combining warm brick and timber structure and contemporary finishes all on one expansive level. Conceived from raw loft space in 2007, this 3,550 square foot penthouse level unit has been renovated to include a spacious chef’s kitchen, multiple living spaces, two large bedrooms with ensuite baths, a sizeable enclosed office, and one half bath. The dramatic deeded roof deck has a sheltered outdoor kitchen, a free-standing fireplace and views to Twin Peaks and Potrero Hill.

This stunning loft is listed for sale at $3,550,000, from here.

Malibu dream home nestled on the bluffs

7377 Birdview Ave is nestled on 180 feet of bluff frontage next to Pt. Dume State Park, in Malibu, California, designed by Burdge & Associates Architects. The home features breathtaking ocean, island and sunset views and unique privacy. The major design and planning objective of Burdge was to take advantage of the views at every turn. Rare is a spot in the house without one. Using mostly orthoganol geometries, rectangular volumetrics and modern materials such as horizontal cedar siding, board form concrete, smooth trowel stucco, glass and aluminum, the 8,900 square foot home is designed to have an open indoor/outdoor flow. Jay Griffith’s landscape design provides privacy with tall cypress trees that line the property. The home was constructed under strict green building standards along with strict guidelines from the Coastal Commission. It deserves this award because of Burdge’s beautiful incorporation of the unique environment in his design.

Photos: Courtesy of Burdge & Associates Architects