Architecture firm Prentiss + Balance + Wickline designed this house in Wawona, California, for a couple with grown children and their families. The land around it is made up of parcels of National Park, and the house serves both as a quiet retreat in the wilderness and as a place for holiday gatherings.
Dark siding to blend in
The main exterior cladding is dark vertical wood siding. The architects chose it to camouflage the building so that it sits back into the landscape as much as possible.
The wraparound deck uses pickets of the same material. Because they are spaced apart, the siding appears to fade out at the deck edge, which keeps a sense of enclosure while leaving the views open.
Living spaces open to the deck
Large sliding glass doors connect the living room directly to the deck, so the family can move freely between inside and outside. A double-height ceiling makes the room feel larger than its actual size, and walls of windows bring in plenty of daylight.
A wall of custom built-in wood shelving stands behind the sofa and holds books and decor.
Kitchen and stair
A small dining area by the windows shares the open plan with the kitchen, which has Beech Veneer cabinets and grey quartz countertops.
On the main floor, the stair treads are thick pieces of reclaimed fir. They look as if they float, but a series of overlapping slats supports them. The vertical rhythm of these slats repeats the exterior siding and the trunks of the trees outside.
Upstairs, one of the rooms has a built-in desk with shelving and cabinetry.
Project credits
- Project: house in Wawona, California, USA
- Architect: Prentiss + Balance + Wickline
- Project architects: Dan Wickline (Principal Architect), Kristin Karlinski (Project Architect)
- Contractor: Zumwalt Construction, Inc.
- Energy consultant: Melas Energy Engineering
- Sprinkler consultant: Golden Valley Fire Protection
- Structural: Harriott Valentine Engineers
- Photography: Andrew Pogue Photography
- Source: Contemporist