Photo by Rob Kerosis

Carriage House style garage and workshop with Guest House above.

SeaThru is a new, waterfront, modern home. SeaThru was inspired by the mid-century modern homes from our area, known as the Sarasota School of Architecture. This homes designed to offer more than the standard, ubiquitous rear-yard waterfront outdoor space. A central courtyard offer the residents a respite from the heat that accompanies west sun, and creates a gorgeous intermediate view fro guest staying in the semi-attached guest suite, who can actually SEE THROUGH the main living space and enjoy the bay views. Noble materials such as stone cladding, oak floors, composite wood louver screens and generous amounts of glass lend to a relaxed, warm-contemporary feeling not typically common to these types of homes. Photos by Ryan Gamma Photography

The new pool house includes a spacious, light-filled gathering room on the main level. The space features custom wide-plank floors, a bead-board ceiling and a gas fireplace, which all add to its charming character. A “summer kitchen” and pool bath complete the first-floor layout, along with an additional two-car garage. Upstairs, two bedrooms and a full bath provide a comfortable guest retreat. The front elevation, scale and exterior finishes of the cottage-style pool house were carefully designed so the street-side view would look appropriate and complement the neighboring homes. BOWA and Lydia Cutter Photography

Dining Room designed by Christyn Dunning of The Guest House Studio. Chandelier is from Made Goods. All upholstery and trim is custom made. Photo by Amanda Keough

Photo: Shannon Malone © 2013 Houzz

Photo: Shannon Malone © 2013 Houzz

Rob Karosis

My client for this project was a builder/ developer. He had purchased a flat two acre parcel with vineyards that was within easy walking distance of downtown St. Helena. He planned to “build for sale” a three bedroom home with a separate one bedroom guest house, a pool and a pool house. He wanted a modern type farmhouse design that opened up to the site and to the views of the hills beyond and to keep as much of the vineyards as possible. The house was designed with a central Great Room consisting of a kitchen area, a dining area, and a living area all under one roof with a central linear cupola to bring natural light into the middle of the room. One approaches the entrance to the home through a small garden with water features on both sides of a path that leads to a covered entry porch and the front door. The entry hall runs the length of the Great Room and serves as both a link to the bedroom wings, the garage, the laundry room and a small study. The entry hall also serves as an art gallery for the future owner. An interstitial space between the entry hall and the Great Room contains a pantry, a wine room, an entry closet, an electrical room and a powder room. A large deep porch on the pool/garden side of the house extends most of the length of the Great Room with a small breakfast Room at one end that opens both to the kitchen and to this porch. The Great Room and porch open up to a swimming pool that is on on axis with the front door. The main house has two wings. One wing contains the master bedroom suite with a walk in closet and a bathroom with soaking tub in a bay window and separate toilet room and shower. The other wing at the opposite end of the househas two children’s bedrooms each with their own bathroom a small play room serving both bedrooms. A rear hallway serves the children’s wing, a Laundry Room and a Study, the garage and a stair to an Au Pair unit above the garage. A separate small one bedroom guest house has a small living room, a kitchen, a toilet room to serve the pool and a small covered porch. The bedroom is ensuite with a full bath. This guest house faces the side of the pool and serves to provide privacy and block views ofthe neighbors to the east. A Pool house at the far end of the pool on the main axis of the house has a covered sitting area with a pizza oven, a bar area and a small bathroom. Vineyards were saved on all sides of the house to help provide a private enclave within the vines. The exterior of the house has simple gable roofs over the major rooms of the house with sloping ceilings and large wooden trusses in the Great Room and plaster sloping ceilings in the bedrooms. The exterior siding through out is painted board and batten siding similar to farmhouses of other older homes in the area. Clyde Construction: General Contractor Photographed by: Paul Rollins

Outdoor Living by McCarthy Custom Homes

Natural Swimming Pool design utilizing Shotcrete Inground Pool Shell with Natural Sandstone Retaining Walls, Seamless Slate Stamped Concrete decking, 30" Dia. x 22' long Tube Slide exiting under Huge Pool Waterfall. Pool House Features Copper Guttering and Roof Dormer Top, Real Stucco, Large Shower, Dressing Bench Area, Imprinted Compass In Floor all on approx. 45 degree sloped yard. A Beautiful Job well done! Design & Pic's by Doug Fender Const. By Doug & Craig Fender dba Indian Summer Pool and Spa

Paul Riddle

Photo: Shannon Malone © 2013 Houzz