January 17, 2012

I shot this house in late 2010. I remember this to have been a very interesting story. The owners had lived in the house for a while when they acquired the property next door. And instead of expanding their home beyond their old boundary, they simply opened up one side and allowed a lot of natural light and wind in via some sliding doors. They also made their outdoor living space larger in order to enjoy that big yard they never had before.

Here I am with Gene Flancia, the architect of this project, at the new extension of the property. They acquired the lot adjacent to theirs and opened up this side of their existing house with sliding glass doors and a porch, but left most of the new property as green open space.

Living area is accessible through the garden.

There is a wooden front door that is barely used because the owners prefer to enter via this sliding door.

The owners of the house chose contemporary pieces in wenge-finish wood  - both store-bought and custom-made.

View from entrance and living area down to the hallway. Mr Flancia created a high vaulted ceiling in this wide hallway. I love it.

Click “More…” to see the rest of this house.

Here is the reverse view. Look at all that generous natural light.

The owner, Roselle Echavez, shows me the end of the hallway that leads to the dining room.

The dining area, adjacent to an open plan kitchen one one side, and a lanai on the other.

A mirror framed in this entire side reflects the red accent wall while making the space appear bigger.

The renovation ensured lots of natural light and cross-ventillation through sliding doors and windows on opposite sides of the house.

The new kitchen with painted green backsplash on all three sides.

The other side of the hallway has this triple sliding door that leads to the family room. Translucent glass allows light to go through and illuminate the end of the hallway while still maintaining privacy.

The family room.

We don’t have a clear photo of the master bedroom. Just showing you that it has a a seating area, while the bed is raised on a small step.

The son’s bedroom was really neat, and it had this interesting glass case for his guitars.

The daughter’s bedroom had a beautiful picture window in one wall.

The guest’s powder room had a bold orange wall with foliage painted on one side. River rocks are a quick way of bringing the outdoors in.

Roselle tells me how satisfied they are with Mr Flancia’s work. And righfully so. Their home turned out so well. It really captured the essence of tropical living in a contemporary setting.

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