Shepard Mesa Residence in Carpinteria, California is a uniquely designed home by Hughes Umbanhowar Architects. The house sits just a couple of miles from the Pacific Ocean and boasts incredible views of the surrounding agriculture, mountain ranges, and nearby ocean. Although the entire 3-bedroom, 2-bath home is rather impressive, the living room and kitchen areas are quite a sight to see.

Exploring the Breathtaking Exterior

The outside of the house and its surroundings are captivating, to say the least. Part of what makes the residence so unique is the way the designers integrated the home into the landscape. For starters, the home is carved into a hillside and features metals that will patina as time goes by, thus blending further into nature.

Even the materials used to build the home include a naturalness that allows the home to serve a complementary purpose in relation to the surrounding landscape. Materials used to build the home include:

Repurposed weathered siding
Polished concrete floors
Stucco colored for integration purposes
Bonderized metal

The exterior of the residence also boasts several carefully selected plantings to enhance the exterior further. Outdoor areas, such as patios and roof decks act as an extension of the home’s living space, giving the homeowners more space for entertainment.

Exploring the Jaw-Dropping Interior

The interior of the home is just as impressive as the exterior, especially with the sprawling views from nearly every room. The L-shaped floor plan makes every room accessible and functional while providing plenty of privacy when necessary.

Wide hallways offer accessibility and maneuverability. A social center acts as the main divider between two bedroom wings, which are accessed via the large hallways. The social area consists of a living room, kitchen, and dining room area. A two-sided fireplace made from stone divides the living room from the kitchen and dining space.

The house stays suitably warm during the cold season thanks to radiant tube heating located in the slab. The tubes gain their heat from a geothermal system pulled from a ground source. As if that isn’t energy efficient enough, the residence also boasts smart glass technology combined with curtains activated by thermal energy.

During the summer months when the sun is shining, and the temperatures heat up, the curtains activate to help cool the home and reduce exposure from ultraviolet rays. The 3,100-square-foot residence features many ways to save on energy bills, specifically by using natural elements that surround the home to their fullest.

Overall, Shepard Mesa Residence is a unique and beautiful home that serves as a complementary addition to the landscape. However, it also offers plenty of modern amenities to ensure the homeowners are comfortable and happy. The layout of the home also works so that children, teens, and parents can retreat to isolated areas, or the whole family can convene together for quality time.

Most importantly, the layout is just right for entertaining friends and family. The open layout of the social area allows everyone to feel connected to one another while entertaining, dining, and cooking.

Design by Hughes Umbanhowar Architects