SURF
SHACK

Santa Barbara, CA
Photography: William Abramowitz

This house set on a small lot near the cliffs of Santa Barbara maintains a low-slung building envelope inspired by the residential precedents of Marcel Breuer and the Eames Office. Combining abstract color panels with vernacular materials in a modern frame, strong sections maximize interior daylight and give physical variation to the ceiling planes and room volumes. The ceiling heights range from 7’-8” to 12’ through the profiles of two shed roofs. Wide-open public spaces extend outdoors and contrast the intimacy and built-in furnishings of the bedrooms and tv room. A rugged materiality and simplicity is suggested with interior walls with exposed fir studs and wide plank boards, and the exterior is painted reinforced fiber cement board.