Michael Ferguson & Kirby Smith — Architects

artful living
Written By Beth Buckley

“Unlike music or painting or most other creative arts, architecture has the added significance of providing functional organization or shelter for habitation. But like all good art, it also has the capacity to lift the human spirit.”

— Michael Ferguson, architect


“Hillside building is not for the faint of heart,” Ferguson says. “It requires a different kind of creative mentality to be open to improvisations along the way.”

Yet the end result is well worth it. Making the most of its serene and natural setting, the home, which Ferguson describes as “elegantly brutal and yet surprisingly cozy,” is arranged on two levels above a ground-floor garage.

The compact, mid-level entry also contains a guest bedroom, bath, and laundry room. The upper level, at about 2,500 square feet, has an open floorplan, containing the living, dining, and kitchen areas. An interior core includes a guest bedroom, bath, media room, and primary suite.

The space boasts dramatic views of the outdoor courtyard, hillside canyon, and pool, where Bacon, the homeowners’ bull terrier, loves to play fetch. The canyon is framed bythe long-span trusses, which support the upper level of the home. The trusses act as a filter that cause one to experience the natural canyon setting in a slightly new way from different vantage points in the house.

A rich palette of organic materials was specified for their potential patina and to ensure a simple maintenance schedule. Corten steel cladding and cedar wood screen were used on the exterior, while the interior has a varietyof stone slabs (white wood limestone, travertine, marble) and wood (Douglas Fir, Walnut, Cedar) to help enhance the dwelling’s connection to the nature and geology ofthe canyon setting.

Beth Buckley
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Tim Cuppett & Dave Kilpatrick — Architects
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Harris Briggs — Architect