A Modern Barn Style House in California - Wait Till You See the Interior!

Dynamic Spaces for Work and Play

This modern barn style house has a garage, office, guest suite, and a great room for the perfect combination of work and play. The Portola Valley Barn style house is a dynamic space that is separate from an existing main residence and was designed for entertaining on a large scale as well as relaxation. The modern barn style house is reminiscent of the tin-roofed, weathered buildings found on the picturesque surroundings. The buildings are compromised if three primary structures to include a home theater, a spacious home office, and a luxurious guest suite all connected by interstitial entryways containing a kitchen and a powder room. The exterior of the main building is composed of weathered building materials all intended to blend into their natural surroundings. In contrast, the modern interior features crisp white walls, dramatic lighting and polished surfaces.

Elegant Design for Entertainment

Walker Warner designed the three connected buildings to include the guest suite, office, and great room, which the family uses for charity events and entertaining. The family also uses the space to watch Giants games on its 13-foot-wide television. The barn style house has an elegant master suite, with a spa-like bathroom, that is so tranquil that its the perfect place to relax. There is a sleek catering kitchen that connects the office and the main living quarters, and an adjoining garage that doubles as a rec room. Inside the garage, there is a vintage roadster that is like a piece of art, and the next bay over has a pool table. The garage space is used differently than most garages and has a playful overall feel. The barn buildings look like a cluster of old barns.

Contemporary Environment with Natural Serenity

The goal with these barn style houses is to design a contemporary environment. The general style of the barn style buildings was to be light and bright with crisp lines and large spaces to hold large pieces of art. The designers did not want a lot of bold colors in the art to distract from the interior design. The architects for these barn style buildings worked with landscape designer Janell Denler Hobart to work with the property's stunning vistas, done by adding large windows that almost appear to recede. Hobart planted a mostly low-water evergreen palette that included California lilacs, strawberry trees and coffee berry trees. The emphasis on the mass planting and controlled seasonal color helps to bring serenity to the garden experience, throughout the year. Nothing about the barn style design competes with the natural surrounding beauty of what you see out the window.

Harmonious Integration with the Surroundings

The barn style buildings look at home in their natural surroundings Portola Valley location. The barn style buildings have a kitchen that features Caesarstone counters, Wood-Mode kitchen cabinets and backsplash tiles that come from Ann Sacks. The kitchen has appliances that include Gaggenau ovens, a Perlick wine refrigerator and a Thermador cooktop. The recreation room contains a pool table, a painting by artist Pete Reilly, European furniture and a garage that houses a red and white vintage roadster.