Campbell Courtyard Contemporary

For a custom residential architect/design firm, the client is the single biggest unknown going into the project. Will they be collaborative? Supportive? Open-minded? Communicative? Patient? Fun to work with?

For our design team, Justin and Sita checked off every possible box from the “Dream Client” checklist, and they inspired one of our firm’s favorite designs. Having purchased a flat rectangular lot in a neighborhood surrounded by mostly original tract homes, our clients’ desire was for a light-filled two-story home that would balance requirements for living, working, and entertaining while reflecting their love of contemporary design.

Our response was to create walls of glass opening onto two primary outdoor spaces: a private rear yard filled with outdoor activity zones, and a contemplative central courtyard designed around a custom water feature of our design. The home’s front façade represents an abstracted yin-yang motif that repeats in the courtyard. A meandering pathway directs visitors to the front door, which opens immediately onto the view of the interior light court.

Two other “slot courtyards” bring light, air, and greenery further into the house, with layers of glass dissolving the boundaries between interior and exterior space.

The second floor is ganged on the north side of the building, so that the primary living spaces can enjoy tall ceilings and south-facing clerestory windows that allow daylight but no views of neighbor’s fences or homes.

Studio S Squared provided architecture, interior, and landscape design for our wonderful clients.