In the realm of architecture and design, constraints are often the mother of invention. Such was the case when a couple approached interior designer Lisa Staprans and architect Karin Payson with their long-held dream of building a compound for extended family in Carmel’s Santa Lucia Preserve. Although the site they selected possessed a fantastic view, it also came with required setbacks, which could have dashed the vision. But the design team was up for the challenge, and within the restrictions, creativity blossomed.
The husband, a design enthusiast whose family has deep ties to the area, had a vision of multiple small buildings that would provide places for their visiting parents, aunts, uncles and cousins to be close but also have privacy. The Preserve’s guidelines, designed to protect the scenic landscape’s character, limited construction to a specific section of the property and allowed for three buildings: a main dwelling, a guesthouse and a garage. To satisfy the clients’ desires, Payson devised a courtyard scheme that borrows its language from traditional ranch houses. The U-shaped residence has three gable-roofed wings connected by lower, flat-roofed passages, giving the appearance of several small buildings. The guesthouse, positioned as a fourth side, and a garage, placed in one corner, complete the private courtyard enclosure.
Home Details
Architecture:
Karin Payson, KPa+d
Interior Design:
Lisa Staprans, Staprans Design
Home Builder:
Mark Vucina and Ryan Vucina, Vucina Construction
Landscape Architecture:
Marie Goulet, Wild Land Workshop
Early in the design process, the team partnered with landscape architect Marie Goulet to help site the house. There is a “good amount of grade change” to the property, she notes, so the residence steps up the hill to have a light touch on the land. Inspired by the dwelling’s position between the oak-madrone forest to the west and native meadow to the east, Goulet and the owners gravitated to a more naturalistic garden style. Once construction was complete, the team oversaw the replanting of native grasses (like fescue), perennials and wildflowers to blur the boundaries with the wild land, punctuated by staggered paths of bluestone pavers.
Inside, Staprans selected furnishings and fixtures inspired by the gardens and the “beauty of the Preserve,” she notes. Like the architecture and the hardscape, the husband was intimately involved with the interiors. “He’s committed to design and great when it comes to finding amazing things,” Staprans says. “He has become one of my favorite collaborators.”
Themes of travel and family are threaded through the home. Staprans found the floor coverings, including the living room rug, in Marrakech, Morocco, and the couple purchased the room’s unique hide chairs while on a trip. The designer infused the spaces with soul by weaving in family art and antiques. “In some cases, I took his mother’s vintage pieces and refreshed them with new upholstery or hardware,” she notes.
The husband appreciates materials and furnishings imbued with history, so he sourced the home’s reclaimed redwood cladding and live-edge redwood dining tabletop himself. Staprans also commissioned a coffee table made from naturally fallen trees. “The rooms are all telling stories: tales of family and friends past and present, and celebrating artisans and makers,” the designer says.
Now the family is making stories of their own at their new home, starting with their first Christmas there, an event they were able hold due to the efforts of general contractor Ryan Vucina to complete the project in time. Afterward, the client called Payson. “He was absolutely ecstatic,” the architect recalls. “They had 15 people, and he said everyone could be together, but there was also enough space for everyone to do their own thing.” The team delivered the family’s dream—with a little help from their design-loving client.
Staprans paired the dining area’s Kai Kristiansen walnut chairs with a table made from sustainably harvested wood sourced from Bay Area Redwood. The fireplace is adorned with Heath Ceramics tiles.
Tour The Home:
In the living room, designer Lisa Staprans selected BenchMade Modern sofas, armchairs from Bella Fine Goods, a metal-frame Cisco Home chair and a custom coffee table by Alabama Sawyer. The lighting is by Stickbulb, and the area rug is from Soufiane Zarib.
Staprans paired the dining area’s Kai Kristiansen walnut chairs with a table made from sustainably harvested wood sourced from Bay Area Redwood. The fireplace is adorned with Heath Ceramics tiles.
In the color-drenched primary bath, brass-hued Grohe fittings pop against deep-blue tile from Cepac Tile. The area rug is from Soufiane Zarib.
The primary bedroom’s Room & Board bed is dressed in Coyuchi linens. Beside it, a table lamp from Mecox illuminates the Stickley nightstand. In the niche above is a 101 Copenhagen vase from Hewn.
This house in Carmel’s Santa Lucia Preserve is clad in redwood siding made from salvaged trees by Bay Area Redwood. Architect Karin Payson selected a gray standing seam metal roof to absorb less heat.