Feldman Architecture updates 1960s Round House in northern California

American firm Feldman Architecture aimed to take a respectful approach while overhauling a "quirky circular house" perched on a hillside near Silicon Valley.

The Round House is located in the affluent town of Los Altos Hills and is bordered by a nature preserve.

The house is located in the Los Altos Hills

Completed in the 1960s, the building consists of a circular main floor, and a lower-level volume housing an in-law unit and a garage. The total area is 5,103 square feet (474 square metres).

When a couple with two young children bought the unusual house – whose original architect is unknown – they weren't exactly sure what a renovation would entail.

The building has a circular main floor

"The clients fell in love with this quirky circular house and initially planned a modest remodel," said San Francisco's Feldman Architecture. "Soon after moving in, the pair recognised the inefficiencies of their new home."

The issues included low ceilings, roof overhangs that obstructed views, and an awkward entry sequence. After a few years of living in the house, the clients hired Feldman Architecture to design a sensitive overhaul.

A circular kitchen was incorporated into the design

"Our team set out to craft a respectful enrichment of the home's original form, focusing in on a site-sensitive response to the steep, challenging plot," the architects said.

The home was stripped down to its studs and foundation. The walls and roof were rebuilt, and exterior facades were re-clad in charred accoya wood.

The house features a spacious deck

Modifications were made to the floor plan, including switching the location of the public zone and main bedroom.

Most notably, the team did away with an internal, central courtyard and replaced it with a circular kitchen. The cooking area now befits a family of food enthusiasts, including a mother who is an ardent baker.

Feldman Architecture arranged pie-shaped rooms around the circular floor plan

"A large circular skylight streams daylight into the kitchen, creating a makeshift sundial that illuminates different sections of custom, curved casework throughout the day," the architects said.

Adjoining the kitchen is the living room and dining area, along with a spacious deck that offers sweeping vistas of the landscape.

The yard has a small lawn

"Tall, curved pocket doors vanish into the walls, asserting a seamless indoor-outdoor connection," the studio said.

Pie-shaped rooms are arrayed along a circular hallway. Each of the home's four bedrooms is afforded access to a perimeter deck.

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Cedar slats wrap backyard pavilions by Feldman Architecture at Silicon Valley home

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Interior finishes include white walls, concrete floors and wooden accents. In the main bathroom, a wall behind the bathtub is sheathed in large, greyish tiles from Porcelanosa.

The home's restrained decor helps keep the focus on the outdoor terrain, which is made visible through large stretches of glass. The clients can also take in the scenery while relaxing in a yard with a small lawn and circular jacuzzi.

Exterior walls are clad in charred accoya wood

The architects said they encountered many challenges due to the home's rounded shape, and overall, the project required a lot of creative problem-solving.

"Most conventional solutions favour straight geometry, which made for a refreshing intervention that is an honest response to the constraints of this unique project," the firm said.

The house has sweeping views of the surrounding landscape

Established in 2003, Feldman Architecture has designed numerous residential projects in California and beyond.

Others include a pair of crisp, backyard pavilions for a Silicon Valley residence and a cypress-clad, beachfront dwelling in Santa Cruz that is meant to balance high design and a casual aesthetic.

The photography is byAdam Rouse.

Project credits:

Architect: Feldman Architecture
General contractor: Baywest Builders
Structural engineer: BKG Structural Engineers
Civil engineer: Lea + Braze Engineering Inc
Landscape design: Variegated Green
Geotechnical consultant: Romig Engineers Inc
Arborist: Urban Tree Management
Lighting designer: Tucci Lighting

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feldman architecture perches its wrapping ’round house’ atop a california bluff.

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Salvaged wood wraps Surf House in Santa Cruz by Feldman Architecture

American firm Feldman Architecture has created a cypress-clad, beachfront dwelling that is meant to balance "high design and a casual Californian aesthetic".

Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Surf House is located in the central California city of Santa Cruz. The 417-square-metre dwelling serves as a weekend getaway for a San Francisco Bay Area family with strong ties to the coastal town.

The home overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Santa Cruz

The clients charged San Francisco's Feldman Architecture with designing a home that embraced the landscape and adhered to a geologic setback requirement.

They also wanted the dwelling to be sensitive to the feel and scale of the surrounding neighbourhood, which features unassuming structures.

Salvaged wood wraps the exterior of Surf House

"The clients were well-versed on the nuances of the site and dreamt of a home that fit naturally and sustainably into its beachy, eclectic locale," said the architects.

For the long property with a ragged ocean-facing edge, the team conceived three structures.

A wooden deck provides ocean views

The main dwelling, which rises two levels, is set nearest to the coast. In the rear, a wooden deck provides an opportunity for indoor-outdoor living and a chance to take in the ocean air.

The front portion of the property has a courtyard with two structures – a garage and a building for storing surf gear called the board room.

The kitchen also features largely wooden elements

Protected from coastal winds, the courtyard serves as a warm, light-filled cloister throughout the year.

For the home's exterior cladding, the architects enlisted the help of a California sawyer, Evan Shivley of Arborica, who specialises in locally sourced, reclaimed timber.

The team chose to wrap the home in board-and-batten siding made of cypress. The same material was used abundantly indoors.

"Monterey cypress – a robust, resilient, regal wood – is accustomed to the site's coastal California climate and when left unfinished, weathers to a sophisticated grey," the team said. "The wood also, therefore, quickly becomes a focal point of the home's design."

Glazed doors separate inside spaces from outside

Within the main dwelling, the ground level holds the public zone and a guest bedroom. Glazed, sliding doors help eliminate the boundary between inside and out.

"Large sweeping doors open to connect the living space to the spacious back deck, which is fitted with an in-ground hot tub and outdoor kitchen perfect for entertaining visiting family and friends," the team said.

Commune Design oversaw the home's interiors

Upstairs, one finds a master suite, an additional bedroom and an office. Windows are carefully placed to provide framed views and to bring shades of blue and green into the home, which has a neutral colour palette.

"The master bedroom features floor-to-ceiling glass walls facing the waves, opening onto a private balcony with views of surfers below," the team said.

Some rooms have panoramic ocean views

Throughout the dwelling, rooms are adorned with earthy materials and contemporary decor. LA firm Commune Design oversaw the interiors.

"Surf House finds the perfect balance between high design and a casual Californian aesthetic, creating magic on an already magical site," the team said.

A garage stores surf gear at the front of the house

Founded in 2003, Feldman Architecture has designed numerous residential projects in California and beyond. Others include a pair of backyard pavilions for a Silicon Valley residence and a San Francisco home with tiered gardens and a triangular loft.

The photography is byJoe Fletcher.

Project credits:

Architecture: Feldman Architecture
Landscape architect: Ground Studio Landscape Architecture
Interior design: Commune Design
Contractor: RJL Construction Sawyer, Arborica
Art consultant: Allison Harding

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feldman architecture’s atherton pavilions float lightly above lush california gardens

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Cedar slats wrap backyard pavilions by Feldman Architecture at Silicon Valley home

American studio Feldman Architecture has completed matching structures for dining and working out in the verdant backyard of a northern California residence.

The Atherton Pavilions are located on a flagpole-shaped lot in the Silicon Valley town of Atherton.

Feldman Architecture has wrapped cedar slats around two pavilions at this Silicon Valley home

After an exhaustive search for the ideal residence, the clients purchased the property, which has a contemporary house, and have made various changes over the years.

"A small garage expansion and a top-floor addition provided additional space for their growing family, but the clients had yet to realise the full potential of their lush and private backyard," said San Francisco’s Feldman Architecture.

The backyard structures provide the residents with space to work out and dine

The latest project entailed the construction of two 450-square-foot (42-square-metre) accessory structures with different functions. One is used as an outdoor kitchen and dining space, while the other holds a room for meditating and working out.

The low-lying, rectilinear buildings are identical in terms of their height, footprint and materials. The architects worked closely with a landscape consultant to ensure the pavilions were harmonious with the surrounding garden.

The architects worked with a local landscaper to ensure the pavilions aligned with the surrounding garden

"The pavilions are delicately placed amidst the existing landscape of redwoods and other mature trees," the team said.

"The clients desired the boxes to be transparent and discrete to blend in with the surrounding softscape."

The kitchen pavilion sits next to an organically shaped pool and acts as an extension of an outdoor lounge area. The second pavilion sits farther back. Outdoor terraces and a new pond help to unite the two structures.

The gym pavilion has sliding glass doors, while the other is open to the air. Both buildings are partly wrapped in slats made of Alaskan yellow cedar that will age naturally over time.

"The wood screens serve each pavilion in contrasting ways – introducing privacy into the exercise and meditation pavilion, and a feeling of openness in the kitchen pavilion," the team said.

The gym has glass sliding doors that open out onto the garden

The buildings' concrete foundations are lifted slightly in the front and rear, resulting in a floating effect.

"At either end of each pavilion, concrete returns back to the site, tying the structures back to the earth," the team said.

Both pavilions are partially wrapped in Alaskan yellow cedar slats

Inside, the buildings have matching plaster ceilings. Concrete was used for the flooring in the dining pavilion, where one finds a pizza oven, a grill, storage space and a wooden table and chairs. The fitness studio is fitted with pale wooden flooring and limited decor.

Established in 2003, Feldman Architecture has designed numerous residential projects in California and beyond. Others include the Sanctuary House in Silicon Valley, which has rooms organised around gardens and courtyards, and the Twins Peak Residence in San Francisco, which features a triangular loft and a plunge pool.

The photography is byAdam Rouse.

Project credits:

Architect: Feldman Architecture
Contractor: Design Line Construction
Landscape design: Thuilot Associates
Structural engineer: Daedalus Structural Engineering
Civil engineer: Lea & Braze Engineering
Geotechnical engineer: Romig Engineers

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feldman architecture uses locally sourced timber to build its santa cruz surf house

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