A Hillside Home In California Connects With Nature

In renovating a couple's home in Portola Valley, architect Malcolm Davis expanded a guesthouse on the property to incorporate a sitting area and a second-floor artist's studio, which connects to the main house with a bridge.

Davis reworked the lower level of the main house to include a light-filled family room. Designer Lori Yeomans appointed the space with an Eero Saarinen table by Knoll and Bruno Hansen chairs. The custom walnut-and-steel bench is from Original Timber Co.

In the living area, Yeomans covered a vintage tete-a-tete sofa by Edward Wormley for Dunbar from Coup D'Etat with a Primo mohair by Holly Hunt. A Warren Platner chair and a coffee table by Isamu Noguchi for Herman Miller rest on a Tibetan wool rug from Aga John Oriental Rugs.

The dining area features a custom walnut table crafted by Gianni Corvasce Restoration encircled with vintage Kai Kristiansen dining chairs from Chris Howard Antiques & Modern; the 1970s brass-and-Lucite chandelier is by Gaetano Sciolari. The space opens through sliding doors by Fleetwood Windows & Doors to a spacious new balcony.

Vertical-grain Douglas-fir cabinetry crafted by the project's builder, Mueller Nicholls Builders, defines the kitchen. Tiles from the Heath Ceramics Dual Glaze collection run above the Wolf range. The KGBL barstools are from De Sousa Hughes.

Davis designed the kitchen with a pantry--which runs the width of the space and has two entrances--to provide essential storage. Oak engineered flooring, supplied and installed by The Wood Floor Company, offers a warm texture.

In the lower-level family room, a Line bar by Nathan Yong from Design Within Reach stands against one wall, while a circa-1875 Oushak rug from San Francisco Rug Gallery grounds the space. The bronze anodized windows are by Fleetwood Windows & Doors.

Davis expanded the existing guesthouse to include a sitting area, called the lanai. Yeomans furnished the space with a down-filled Grotto sofa and acacia coffee table, both by Blu Dot, and Diamond chairs by Harry Bertoia from Hive in Portland, Oregon. The rug is by Chilewich.

The roof and exterior of the guesthouse are clad with Cor-Ten corrugated steel, installed by Bill Hamilton Roofing, to evoke the area's agricultural buildings. A bridge connecting the building to the main house was fabricated by Bob's Iron. The property's new landscaping was designed by Randy McDannell and installed by Elements Landscape.

Bronze anodized sliding doors by Fleetwood Windows & Doors connect the master bedroom to a wraparound deck. U-Turn Swivel chairs by Niels Bendtsen from Design Within Reach stand on a wool rug from ABC Carpet & Home in New York and provide a prime viewing spot.

In the guesthouse bedroom, Blu Dot's Woodrow bed in walnut is dressed with RH bedding. The artisanmade pillows and coverlet are from The Loaded Trunk. An Isaac Plug-In sconce by Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. illuminates a floating teak shelf from Mid Century Mobler.

Skylights were used in the master bathroom and elsewhere in the home to animate spaces throughout the day. The freestanding bathtub is by Blu Bathworks, and the flooring is slate.