Tasked with giving a California couple the ruggedly handsome house they pined for—one that engaged with its natural surroundings and brought the outside in—two principals at San Francisco studio Aidlin Darling Design did what any adventurous architects would to get acclimated to their new job site: They got out their camping gear. Showcased in the April/May 2015 issue of SFC&G (San Francisco Cottages & Gardens) magazine, the "industrially inspired" 4,000-square-foot Mill Valley, California, dwelling is a real beaut, composed largely of gorgeous poured-concrete and sided in tough-luxe corrugated-metal panels. Sleeping under the stars on the land for a night, explains SFC&G, helped the designers gain a sense of the effect of shifting winds and subtle light changes on the landscape over the course of a day.
It also helped Chiang, Aidlin, and their nature-loving, art-collecting clients settle on a courtyard-house scheme. A collection of furniture from the likes of Carl Hansen, Poul Kjaerholm, and Carl Auböck (chosen carefully in collaboration with the project's interior designer Susan Collins Weir) indoors complements quite-nice all-weather seating and tables on the backyard terraces. And massive sliding glass doors allowing easy outdoor access make it all a real indoor-outdoor dream. The full scoop on the house's sustainable systems, gorgeous furnishings, and photos galore over at SFC&G.
· A Spare, Industrially Inspired Home by Aidlin Darling Design Melds Seamlessly into the Mill Valley Landscape[San Francisco Cottages & Gardens]
· Previous Aidlin Darling coverage[Curbed SF]
· All California coverage[Curbed]