San Rafael Residence

  • Located in San Rafael along the edge of the Bay, this home reinterprets traditional Japanese design through a contemporary California lens. Designed in collaboration with Schonhardt Architects and Somakosha — whose craftsmen helped reconstruct the Shōya House at The Huntington — the project carries forward the quiet precision and natural restraint that first drew the clients to their work.

    The couple wanted a home they could grow old in; a place that feels grounded, calm, and deeply connected to nature. The renovation expands the existing house with a new primary suite and reconfigures the living spaces to better align with how they live today.

    Arrival begins through a courtyard inspired by a Japanese rock garden. Boulders, gravel, and native planting introduce a sense of stillness, setting the tone for the home’s material palette and rhythm. A defined entry, or genkan, offers a moment to pause — to remove shoes and step up into the home — marking the transition from exterior to interior life.

    Inside, the plan is open but controlled. Wood slat screens reinterpret the softness of shoji partitions, modulating privacy and light while framing views through the house. The living area opens to an engawa, a covered porch that extends along the garden side of the home, creating a space for sitting, conversation, or simply watching the day shift.

    Beyond the living room, a wood-screen divider defines the dining area, continuing the play of openness and enclosure. Adjacent to it, the kitchen is designed for serious cooking — combining function and experience. Professional-grade equipment pairs with two central islands and a long, window-lined counter offers generous work surfaces and views of the garden and water beyond. Vaulted wood ceilings rise toward a skylight, and together with the warm material palette, capture the changing light throughout the day.

    The threshold to the primary suite is a glazed hallway. On one side, a planted courtyard with a single tree; on the other, sliding doors open to the backyard. Natural light filtering from both sides connects the bedroom to the site while maintaining privacy. The adjoining bathroom is defined by a mix of wood, plaster, and stone textures creating a calm, tactile space that looks outward to the rear garden.

    The exterior is clad in shou sugi ban, a charred wood siding used in Japan for its durability and low maintenance — ideal for the coastal air. Deep eaves and rhythmic louvers filter sunlight, while traditional plaster walls help regulate humidity and temperature inside.

    The surrounding landscape continues the home’s quiet balance between structure and softness. Native grasses, mosses, and stone form a composition that feels natural to the site, allowing the building to settle gently into its setting.

    The result is a home rooted in both tradition and place — one that honors Japanese craft while embracing the light, landscape, and lifestyle of Northern California.

  • Architect & Interior Design: Schonhardt Architects | KAMA Studios | Somakosha

  • From the entry court, the dark shou sugi ban siding and low plantings create a sense of quiet enclosure and approach.

  • Sliding panels open fully to reveal the engawa, blurring the boundary between the rock garden and interior threshold.

  • Filtered light passes through wood slat screens as the living room opens to the rear yard, framing views of the garden beyond.

  • A wood-screen divider defines the dining space, continuing the play of openness and enclosure throughout the main level.

  • Vaulted wood ceilings and a central skylight wash the kitchen in daylight, complementing its professional-grade layout and natural finishes.

  • A quiet reading nook anchored by a fireplace provides a moment of pause within the open plan.

  • Soft natural light and warm wood finishes give the primary bedroom a feeling of calm continuity with the surrounding landscape.

  • Plaster, stone, and wood surfaces combine to create a serene bathing space defined by texture and light.

  • Natural light grazes plaster and stone surfaces, softening the bath’s minimal geometry and connecting it to the garden beyond.

  • From the rear garden, the home’s shou sugi ban siding and deep eaves frame the covered porch, grounding the architecture within its landscape.

  • Charred wood siding and deep eaves set a restrained first impression, revealing the home’s quiet material language.