House by the Pond
We worked in an old-fashioned way, face to face, handing sketches back and forth, led by our client at triple speed. She was active in the design team, refining complexities as we realized each week’s drawings. Old redwood and white oak were transformed by six cabinet shops, French limestone and Rojo Alicante marble were specially cut, and bronze ornamentals were custom cast, each detail distinctly chosen. Practicalities such as vents, controls, lights and speakers are hidden, emphasizing loveliness and enhancing function. This unobtrusive utility recurs outdoors in the idyllic pond and pump house, which irrigate the grounds while welcoming guests to relax, fish and swim. Engineered to the standard of an indispensable place, the house is timelessly solid, with the elegance of an earlier age.
Sonoma, California
15,900 square feet
Ned Forrest Architects
Tucker and Marks, Interior Designer
Todd Cole Landscape Architects
Kenneth Campbell Associates, Inc., Structural Engineer
Axiom Engineers, Home Automation & Lighting Designer
"Some owners want to have romantic craftsmen do their project, but large projects need a great administrative and managerial element. Cello & Maudru has both. Their notion of craft is that they take on a lot of challenges that some people think can’t be done.”
— NED FORREST, ARCHITECT