Not-So-Big House,
Santa Cruz, CA

Bold, vibrant colors contrast with natural materials—exposed timbers, hardwood floors—in this home to create a sense of comfortable, eclectic ambience. Traditional touches contrast with the latest innovations, too: look to the concrete countertops for example. This is a lesson in the new small house, a reasonably-sized home that feels larger, by design.

No space is wasted in the new small house, yet no opportunity is lost. For an example, experience the coziness of the soffitted kitchen inglenook. Windowed and looking outward on two sides, it's also enclosed and made intimate by the crafted wood tower which does double duty as a storage cabinet. Made spatially integral and yet separate from the vaulted Kitchen, it is comfy and close, safe, yet connected by sight lines to all parts of the house.

Intimate spaces—the private rooms, the Dining Room—are juxtaposed against the double-volume living area, a space activated by a soaring, sculptural fireplace, and enlivened by the upper story gallery, clerestory window lighting, and playful window overlooks.

Notice the Craftsman styling while approaching the house: a simple roof form broken by the shed clerestory dormer over the entry and a stair tower to the rear, a one-and-one half story aspect, covered porch, and an ambiguous symmetry—all classic bungalow elements.

A conversion of a nondescript tract model into a jewel, this home is a labor of love by its owners, and Daniel Matthew Silvernail, Architect is proud to have played our part in the realization of their dream.