NorWay Residence

The site is a 40-acre parcel within a larger private estate on the outskirts of Santa Rosa. Despite the generous acreage, the buildable envelope is tightly constrained: steep, densely forested, and largely inaccessible to conventional traffic. Most of the property remains genuinely wild. The site has no visible neighbors in any direction, and a narrow corridor cuts through the trees opening the view toward the valley beyond.

The design is organized around two ideas. On the section, the residence is stacked vertically: a grounded lower level tucked into the slope for guest rooms, garage, and back-of-house, and an upper level lifted above it and opened out. On the plan, the upper level is stacked from front to back: an open pavilion facing the valley, a service block as the dividing spine, and the private quarters tucked toward the hillside. The private wing steps sideways from the main volume, projecting far enough on one side that the primary suite also captures the valley view, and creating a sheltered courtyard on the other.

The public front of the upper level is one continuous space: living, dining, and kitchen, fully glazed. Both short ends open completely through pocket sliding doors that disappear into the walls. On three sides, the space is immersed in the immediate landscape, surrounded by trees and canopies. On the fourth side, the view opens through the corridor toward Bennett Valley. The room is designed to be inside and outside at once, held by its immediate setting while reaching for the distant one.

The project is currently in the permitting phase.