A New Build with Authenticity - Page 2

In the new home, the front facade leads into a formal entry that divides the house into private and public areas. Clean lines, the warmth of woods, and a post-and-beam ceiling seem to blend the best of modern California living. A continuous wall of glass opens out to a hilltop view, and a 13-foot by 30-foot infinity pool.

"It has all hallmarks of mid-century modern design, open to the exterior and taking advantage of the view," Campen says. "Set down from the driveway adjacent to it, it appears very low profile—and a lot of that was inspired by that other house."

For the new build, the architects and designers were not only able to create a single-story home with mid-century styling but to deliver a state-of-the-art 21st century home, elegantly appointed throughout.

"I think they intended it to be humble in a way, not extravagant or ostentatious," says Campen. "I like that about the simple flat roof; it does have curb appeal, but it's not trying to 'prove anything.'"

Halfway through construction the owners needed to relocate, so they never actually lived in the Wood Valley house. "It was for sale on and off" during the last two years, Campen says, but with the recent sale, it appears a transition is now complete.

And we're left wondering: Do new-build, single-story mid-century-style homes have a chance to thrive at the core of homebuilding today?

"The tricky part, of course, is because of modern codes and insulation, the amount of things we have to put in a home structurally makes it hard to look as light as an Eichler looks," points out Campen. "Walls need to be thicker, so it always looks a bit chunkier than the true houses from the mid-century. There are tricks to help with that, though."

"But I think there's still a market for [new] mid-century modern," he adds. "We specialize in that style and have a few examples of it, one in Malibu that's nearing completion."

Another project Klopf completed was a mid-century-inspired design for a young family in Los Altos who admired the aesthetic. Eichler-like, it was designed with a glass atrium, clerestory windows, pocket doors, and a playroom off of the front courtyard.

So, it's uplifting to consider that, here in the first quarter of the 21st century, the portfolio of these modern-day architects seems to be signaling an architectural return to the mid-century.

"The philosophies, the very simple building techniques," Campen says, "are all ideas that will continue to be important for new modern houses moving forward…And people love to have a connection to the outdoors, especially here in California."