Small and energy-efficient home in Santa Ynez

Located in Santa Ynez, CA, USA, this residence has a contemporary design and it embraces the beautiful landscape around it. Its owners contracted Fernau + Hartman Architects for this project. They had few but clear requirements. They wanted a small, energy-efficient home that would take advantage of the beautiful surroundings and would integrate well in the rural area.

Santa ynez house10

The residence was built in 2010 and the architects that designed it worked closely with landscape specialist Pamela Burton & Company and with several other specialists for the mechanical part, the lighting system and everything else. Together they managed to create this beautiful home, the materialization of its owner’s mind picture. The owners are passionate art collectors and former gallery owners so they also required a separate studio/guest house where they could work and display their beautiful collection pieces.

Santa ynez house10
Santa ynez house10
Santa ynez house10
Santa ynez house10
Santa ynez house10
Santa ynez house10
Santa ynez house10
Santa ynez house10
Santa ynez house10

The residence has two bedrooms, a pool, a series of outdoor areas and a barbeque space. Visually, the design of the house is very well balanced. The whole project was envisioned as a structure that connects to the landscape, that embraces the beautiful views and everything around it. The main volume is east-west oriented and it contains the living and dining space, along with the master bedroom. The studio or guest house is a separate volume. Both structures share a series of outdoor spaces.