The Guerneville House currently exists as a ramshackle artist studio perched on the hillside above the Russian River. Divided into two units, the lower unit is currently inhabited by the client and the upper unit is in a state of disrepair – a hodgepodge of building elements assembled and reassembled over time. The project involves the disassembly of the upper unit and starting anew. 

Retiring from the culinary arts, the client is settling amongst the forest. Referencing the spatial qualities of the kitchens found at gothic cloisters, the primary living space chimneys upward toward a skylight that grasps whatever daylight filters through the towering redwoods. A central loft provides space for guests with a restroom and closet tucked below and provides a division between public and private realms.