The client, a restaurateur and former professional baseball player for the Japanese leagues whose love for Japanese culture and cuisine manifested itself into his San Francisco Japanese restaurant and his Asian-influenced home. The client desired a house that would maximize the amount of livable space while maintaining a usable backyard and pool, all with hints of an Eastern aesthetic. The client did not want the home to loom as a monolith above the surrounding neighborhood. To establish an unobtrusive streetscape presence, Shubin + Donaldson took advantage of the downward sloping nature of the land. From the street, the residence appears to be a two-story structure, but the rear view reveals a spacious three-story, terraced home with full-length glass windows and doors that look onto the pool. To impart a Japanese elegance, fine craftsmanship, reminiscent of seamless, fitted Japanese woodworking and various combinations of Asian-origin hardwoods are used throughout this ground-up construction. Rows of stained-teak planks with steel create railings, shades, gates, and fences on the exterior and interior of the house. Planks are meticulously joined at corners, appearing nearly seamless. Asian hardwoods also compose the stairs, ceilings, and floors of various interior locales. At the staircase, a shoji screen back window curves into a skylight, blurring the lines between wall and ceiling. Location Brentwood, California Principal Architects Robin Donaldson AIA Russell Shubin AIA Project Architect Mark Hershman Project Team Vance Ruppert Michael Hanson Photographer Zack Benson, Josh Perrin

M-detail

MIYAHOME　宮下工業株式会社

Find the right local pro for your project

Find top design and renovation professionals on Houzz

Scale

MATTEO MARTINI ARCHITETTO

Scale in legno e corrimano a muro che conducono all’area privata della casa.

和

有限会社　宮元工務店

和

Interiors

Hive Architecture By Becky Alexis

Double helix stair

Tali Hardonag Architect

Looking up through a helical stair to a sun tube centered in the ceiling. A concrete floor with radiant heating is finished in natural tones acid wash. Laser cut leaves from slate, embedded in the floor, seem 'blown in' through the front door. A raised platform behind shoji screens offer japanese style seating at a 'sunken' table.