| Group 41 - H House in San Francisco, California |
|
| Tuesday, 16 March 2010 07:10 |
|
The project, entitled the H House, is an attractive modern architectural residence situated in Noe Valley, a neighborhood located within the central portion of San Francisco, California. To its architect/developer Joel Karr of Group 41, the project was the first ground-up development property and became a welcomed opportunity to express his own distinctive ideas of modernist design. Photographs by Ken Gutmaker unles otherwise mentioned Set in the hills above Noe Valley, the structure takes advantage of sweeping views of the Oakland Hills and the city skyline below. Surrounded by the typical mix of Edwardian, Victorian Italianate, and 1940 renovations, the H House takes a relatively strong modernist stance while still respecting the scale and proportionality of its neighbors. Sustainable design features
More photographs
Related Articles: Fougeron Architecture - Jackson Family Retreat in Big Sur, California
Located in the Big Sur area of Northern... Read More >> Steven Holl Architects - Horizontal Skyscraper / Vanke Center in Shenzhen, China© Shu He
Hovering over a tropical garden, this ‘horizontal skyscraper’... Read More >> The Nation's Brightest Minds in Sustainable Design Hail from the NorthwestA Seattle-area team of young designers beat out 17 other... Read More >> |
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 March 2010 16:17 |
Black stacked slate wall adds drama and Anchors Structure to the Hill. A monolithic wall wrapped in panels of black, stacked slate pierces down through two stories, anchoring the structure to the steep hill. 
The house spreads out over four-level, within the 4,500 square foot property, to include 4 bedrooms and 4.5 baths. A flexible floor plan allows the lower unit to serve as the perfect entertainment space or a separate unit. Finally, outdoor decks, terraces and gardens complement the indoor spaces, making the most of expansive views.
Curvilinear ceiling adds visual interest. “The only curvilinear elements in the entire home are the curved shapes of the ceiling plane and the lighting rail,” explains Joel Karr. “They’re meant to soften the planar feel of the ceiling as you enter the house because the living room steps down and ‘away’ from your point of view and the ceiling becomes an incredibly powerful visual element in the main living space.”
With the Ingo Maurer “Oh Mei Ma” fixture in the foreground of a double high atrium entry, the impact of the subtle curvatures makes a compelling first impression.
The all-white Master Bath is intended as a gleaming blank canvas. The purpose behind the design of this master bath was to obtain an absolutely colorless room that was neither “feminine” nor “masculine” but would adapt to the unique character of the owners. 
This white on white theme is achieved through different finishes such as Thassos marble, Inalco white panel tiles, glossy white lacquered vanity elements and Spanish white “bubbles” tile, all complemented by a floating “island” tub on a mat of white glass pebbles and a wall-hung Philippe Starck toilet.
Concrete
