Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Nature-Loving Compound Relaxes Into the Landscape
Local materials, native plantings and organic shapes help four structures blend beautifully with their Sierra foothills site
It's a quietly impressive compound: simple forms of a garage, a house and two guest cottages on 4 acres in Three Rivers, California. Architect Polly Osborne remodeled the buildings to nestle into the Sierra foothills landscape, which she filled with native plants and trees. A new net-zero garage and fitness room, complete with a living wall, rounds out the property.
Houzz at a Glance
Location: Three Rivers, California
Size: Main house: 2,800 square feet; beige cottage: 900 square feet; red cottage: 300 square feet
Houzz at a Glance
Location: Three Rivers, California
Size: Main house: 2,800 square feet; beige cottage: 900 square feet; red cottage: 300 square feet
The garage is the only new structure on the land. It's heated and cooled through passive solar techniques, and solar panels on the garage roof produce enough power to feed the rest of the buildings. The garage also has space on the first and second floors for a yoga studio and exercise room.
Native plants grow in a living wall designed by Rana Creek on the garage exterior. Bryce Parker garage doors and Il Fanale sconces add to the building's contemporary industrial look.
The main house was in good shape initially, but the bright purples, pinks and blues on the interior and exterior didn't fit the homeowners' style. Osborne didn't add much square footage but did build in some luxuries, such as an outdoor shower, a pizza oven and a sauna.
Exterior: Monterey Hardie Board; glass doors: Loewen; wood doors: custom
Exterior: Monterey Hardie Board; glass doors: Loewen; wood doors: custom
Locally quarried slate grounds the home's foundation. The main house's screened-in porch ties the living room to the lush landscape.
Exterior stone: Yosemite slate
Exterior stone: Yosemite slate
The south and main forks of the Kaweah River merge here, and the river influenced Osborne's designs. After gutting the interior, she worked gentle curves into the ceiling's lines. Local slate flooring — the same used on the home's exterior — resembles river rock.
Couch: Linea; coffee table: custom by Osborne, made by William Stranger; wood-burning oven: Rais Pina; armchairs: Le Corbusier
Couch: Linea; coffee table: custom by Osborne, made by William Stranger; wood-burning oven: Rais Pina; armchairs: Le Corbusier
Osborne redesigned the kitchen with a subtle color palette and natural materials, including salvaged Douglas fir cabinetry and a salvaged teak island top.
Pendant: Il Fanale; stove: Blue Star; faucet: Waterstone; countertop: Cheng Concrete
Pendant: Il Fanale; stove: Blue Star; faucet: Waterstone; countertop: Cheng Concrete
An undulating wall covered with stacked stone leads into the main bathroom. The flowing shapes, pebbles and tile wall bring the river to mind.
Interior wall, shower floor: Bali, Ann Sacks; tile: Fireclay; vanity wood: salvaged teak; wall color: Osage, American Clay; sink: Wetstyle
Interior wall, shower floor: Bali, Ann Sacks; tile: Fireclay; vanity wood: salvaged teak; wall color: Osage, American Clay; sink: Wetstyle
Two slate-covered rounded additions hold the home's new amenities out back. The addition with the shingled roof is the sauna.
The other addition: an outdoor shower off the main bathroom.
Osborne worked carefully with Rana Creek to bring in more native trees and plants.
A few steps away, the 900-square-foot beige cottage makes for a cozy guesthouse with a small kitchen, a bathroom, a living room, a porch and a bedroom. A built-in Douglas fir table takes up minimal space in this kitchen, folding up into the wall. Wood salvaged from a whiskey warehouse in Kentucky — complete with a warm, spicy scent — lines the cottage floors.
As in the main house, a curved roof and local slate in the beige cottage's living room mimic the form of the river.
At 300 square feet, this little red guesthouse contains a small living space, a bedroom, a bathroom and a screened-in porch.
Exterior paint: Colonial Red, ICI
Exterior paint: Colonial Red, ICI
One of the owners is a screenwriter and a producer, and uses this cottage as his writer's retreat.
Interior floor: Tara, Nova cork
Contractor: Hindsight Construction
Interior floor: Tara, Nova cork
Contractor: Hindsight Construction