Words: Anna Galbraith
Atop a ridge in the Santa Lucia mountains of Carmel, California, Feldman Architects have reimagined the traditional Southwestern ranch. A distinctively modern take on the classic style, Ranch O|H is at once chic and rustic — and we think it’s darn-tooting good.
Popularised by the architects of the West Coast in the early Twentieth century, and hugely popular across post-War America, the traditional ranch house is simple and easy to replicate. As such, the design is essentially a blank canvas, with architects clamouring to innovate and tweak the design to create something new and exciting.
In Ranch O|H, contemporary materials and an ever-changing landscape have been partnered with a classic look to blend the best in modern and traditional design and create the perfect weekend house.
Upon entry from the courtyard, you’re treated to dramatic westward views across a 70 foot pool. And, sat on the poolside terrace, Californian sunshine gently setting and epic mountainous backdrop rising up around you, your nightly Mint Julep will taste better than ever. And that outdoor fire pit will give you a taste of the ranchman’s outdoor life.
Every area of this expansive ranch flows effortlessly into the next. In the dining room, sliding doors allow you to seamlessly access the outdoor dining pavilion. Here, you can make your way to the guests suites, complete with private kitchen and living rooms. And then back once more from these auxilary wings to the main house via covered walkways.
To nod to the outdoorsy feel of cowboys of old, the building materials of this ranch include pre-weathered corrugated steel classing, buff limestone walls and swathes of rough aluminium.
And this, teamed with an interior palette of cedar-clad ceilings, oil-rubbed wood and exposed concrete floors, comes together to present a home fit for a modern cowboy: Refined, yet rugged.
Looking for something a little more sociable? Take a look at the Canadian house built for parties…
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