This California coastal home was designed by four friends

In Sonoma County, California, a new coastal home emerges in the established Sea Ranch community. First developed in the 1960s, the area’s wood-clad homes often feature architecture that blends modernism with a tactile, somewhat rustic feel, reflecting the tranquil nature of its context. In this setting, The House of Four Ecologies is a new residence located in the wider site’s 10-mile expanse. It was designed by a small group of friends who wanted to share, enjoy and have access to the rugged coastal environment.

Tour a new coastal home in California

The design of the 1,600 square-foot residence was led by James Leng, who is also an architect and founding partner of the San Francisco-based architecture office Figure. Joining him are his life partner, Natasha Sadikin, a development director at Frolic Community; and friends Juney Lee, a professor of architecture at Carnegie Mellon University, and Hoang Nguyen, an associate principal at Grimshaw Architects.

With parallel careers in the built environment, the friends shared a deep understanding of the concept of a sanctuary. As a result, the house was reimagined as a cluster of four volumes and designed to immerse itself within the landscape, nestled against a riparian corridor, adorned with a family of firs, wild coastal grasses and coffeeberry bushes that scatter across the landscape.

This multi-levelled mood board and inspiration lies behind the home’s design, making sure that the residence offers a variety of visual and spatial orientations as it takes in the surrounding landscape.

Inside, the first living room, also playfully referred to as the ‘Ocean Room,’ is surrounded by a built-in banquette seating on three sides, creating a wrap-around gathering space, a cosy fire stove, and a large window that frames the Pacific Ocean.

The second room – the ‘Garden Room’ – is described as a room within a room, as it features a walled garden and a courtyard deck within the planted landscape. The room offers a series of sliding doors that allow the space to be flexible and, therefore, multifunctional.

Placed off the courtyard is the kitchen and dining space. This is the largest open-plan area in the house, and it acts as the heart of the home. Grounding the room, a large table is available to accommodate communal gatherings. The kitchen itself is a simple bar with a large horizontal awning window over the sink. More windows and skylights allow for a gentle breeze and daylight to trickle into the space.

The fourth room, just off the kitchen, is an ensuite studio space, overlooking the meadow outside. This room is spacious enough to fit a bed, a sitting area, and a long work table along the window wall.

Says Leng: ‘One might imagine enjoying the morning light on the ocean in the living room, basking in the warm noon sun in the sheltered courtyard, sharing a meal in the dining room tucked between trees, and adjourning to the ensuite under the soft dusk glow of the meadow to end the day.’