Watersmark 35 House
Photography by Hester + Hardaway.
Office Project Team: Mell Lawrence, Krista Whitson, Charlotte Pease, Mike Smith, Gregory
Thomas, Rebecca Devine, & John Castore
Contractor: EDACO
Structural: Smith Structural Engineers
Landscape: Mark Word
Interiors: Mark Ashby & Mary Ames
This house embraces its naturally terraced site, capturing sweeping views to the distance and intimate spaces along the site. As the house descends the slope, each room inside corresponds to a "room" outside. From the living area, which responds to a patio on a natural stone terrace, a glass bridge leads to the library overlooking a spa pool underneath, where guest quarters open onto another natural terrace.
Upstairs, the private suite opens first onto a screened porch, then a balcony. This series of small boxes contrasts larger spaces anchoring the house below. Only elemental materials -- wood, stone, and metal -- were used, chosen to express the qualities of older buildings: substantial, grounded, and well proportioned, with textural interest flowing between exterior and interior.