Sonoma Residence

House of Blocks

A contemporary home invites friends and family to connect with nature and each other.

Stacked

A couple known for their urban hospitality asked JENSEN Architects to design a home where intimacy and nature set the mood. Although their ranch property stretches across rolling acres, the house sits discreetly among a knoll of oaks overlooking Sonoma valley. Mindful of these venerable trees and the rocky topography, JENSEN composed a contemporary home of bold volumes, stacked like blocks, each framing a distinct relationship to the landscape.

Balancing Act

The blocks each hold a different wing of the house, while changes in material expression signal a shift from social to private experiences within. Board formed-concrete and glass compose the lower level, where a serene library sits apart from the home’s communal spaces. Above, the private suite, wrapped in zinc panels, cantilevers toward the valley, and the guest wing, finished in wood looks out to the pool and courtyard.

Beyond Open

The social heart of the home is a space of dramatic openness: The glass wall literally slides away letting life flow into the terrace beyond. Here, the views and pool figure prominently, yet the terrace is much more. A lounge, dining room, kitchen and spa step down from the home in a series of intimate, open-air rooms.

Home, Not Alone

Shared spaces and perspectives weave the wings together. A courtyard and roof decks nest between the blocks, while carefully situated windows open slight lines through and between. This layering of views and vistas throughout the house affords a sense of being inside and outside at the same time—and always connected to the whole.

Type: Residential

Client: withheld

Location: Sonoma

Architects

Project Leads: Mark Jensen; Dean Orr; Melissa DeLacy

Project Team: Alex Huang; Jonny Rohrbaugh; Vanessa Moon

Consultants

Structural: Tipping Structural Engineers

Mechanical: Axiom Engineers

Electrical: Summit Engineering

Lighting: Hiram Banks

Audio Visual: Amplified Lifestyles

Geotechnical: Rollo & Ridley

Surveyor, Civil: Hogan Land Services

Landscape: Surfacedesign

Interiors: Jay Jeffers

Owner’s Representative: Whiteside Management

Back to Work

See our Office