California Cool

The owners asked for a house that could hold a crowd without looking like it was waiting for one. The rooms are pale, the floors are wide, and the furniture sits low enough that the garden stays in view from the kitchen.

Nothing here is precious. The sofa is linen because it washes. The dining table is oak because it takes a mark and keeps going. A single long hall connects the public rooms so people can drift without shutting doors.

What makes the house feel full is not more furniture. It is the light at four in the afternoon, the extra chairs stacked in the pantry, and a kitchen island that is really a table in disguise.