SHIMMON HOUSE
SHIMMON HOUSE Los Altos Hills, California
The extensive renovation of this 1950s ranch-style dwelling transforms decades of misguided additions into a clean, elegant Modernist home. With a hilltop perch on a three-acre site in Los Altos Hills, the house was in an ideal position to embrace the natural assets of the site. To take advantage of the views to the valley below, extensive glass openings were carved into cubic masses of the existing structure. Deep overhangs soar over rooms to provide shade from the hot summer sun and generate a dynamic energy to the spaces below. Refined finishes of stone, mahogany wood, stainless steel, Venetian plaster, and muted stucco strike a measured tone between luxurious and livable. An infinity-edge pool weaves the illusion of the water cascading over the steep hillside beyond. And with such custom amenities as heated bathroom mirrors, a laundry chute, automated system controls and window treatments, and solar hot water panels and photovoltaics, hydronic heating, wine cellar, and home theater—function was faithfully preserved in harmony with form.
Project Architect & Designer: Matthew Mosey, AIA
Architect: Swatt Architects
Photograph: Cesar Rubio
