Pam & Paul’s House

Pam & Paul’s House floats in the canopy of a dense oak grove in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains just west of Silicon Valley. Designed by Craig Steely Architecture the conceptual idea came clearly and quickly—float a glass box in the leaves of the trees on two trunk-like columns, disrupting as few oaks as possible. The dense tree canopy offers the opportunity to build a complete glass-walled house, protected from the direct rays of the sun, yet filled with dappled sunlight.

The main living area is cantilevered into the tree canopy while bedrooms, bathrooms, service, and storage are located behind a long wall of cabinetry along the hillside. The living room, the office, and the kitchen) are sunken into the open plan concrete floor. In the ceiling, flush mounted LED strips re-iterate these zones. Strong geometric lines of light, reminiscent of a Dan Flavin sculpture, are clearly visible from the outside looking up through the leaves.