This Midcentury "Treehouse" Is Tailored for Its Tech-Founder Owner—Right Down to the Velvet Conversation Pit and Dry-Erase Board

A metal loft is suspended in the rafters of the great room. “Early in the project, Andrew actually asked us to stay at the house and just see how the light moves,” Smith says. “That's when we were like, What if we could experience this room like we were in the clouds, like we were birds or gods and we're looking out in our city. So that's how the loft came about. It completely changes the experience of the room.”

In the dining area, an antique Napoleon III mirror from Smith and Sutherland’s shopping trip to Paris juxtaposes a leather-and-oak Croft House Morro Credenza and a statement opaline-and-brass chandelier from Danke Galerie. “I wanted to capture and enhance that retro 1960s California optimism, while retaining the rustic-wood feel and human-scale sizing,” says Sutherland.

Scott Lewis of Scott Lewis Landscape Architecture is the mastermind behind the geometric screens on the decks, which he crafted using colorful squares of acrylic that filter in sunlight while maintaining privacy from next-door neighbors. “His reference was the Denver Art Museum’s 1970s Gio Ponti building, which is castle-like with a million little glass tiles, and it has some of these elements in the façade of these horizontal and vertical strips,” says Butler Armsden Architects managing principal Federico Engel.

A welcoming front patio gives way to two entries: the main eight-foot sapele-wood door that Smith designed with tree-ring carvings and a triple slider that completely opens the game room for an indoor-outdoor experience. "I just feel really proud of that because of how long it took to draw," Smith says of the door. "I got to really bring in my artistry. So that door is very meaningful because it tells a story—it's not just decorative."

“The sunken living room, I love it—it's so major,” Smith says. “The opportunity to have the nod to the past with the carpet and then making it a maximalist moment by doing the red fabric… I really wanted him to feel like he was in another world and that he could just reach out and touch the moon.”

A custom oak-and-walnut chess table is nestled into a recessed niche with a 1960s "Kuli" Ceiling Lamp by Svea Winkler hanging from a lattice feature, which lets light flow in from above so potted plants can thrive. “The built-in chessboard always invites visitors into a quick game whenever they see it,” says Sutherland. “Carmen made that a very special moment.”

“I'm an eclectic designer,” Smith says. “I love blending styles, and that's how we approached it. So the rug in the living room is 300 years old. It actually reminds Andrew of Paris—he loves Paris. We brought things in that felt meaningful to the client.”

“Historically, kitchens have been separated from living rooms and dining rooms—that was definitely the case here,” explains Engel. “The big gesture was to open the kitchen to the great room. And that's very much how Andrew lives. He loves to entertain and cook for people. I was fortunate enough that, at the end of the project, he invited over the team and made a super lovely meal for us.”

Smith designed a cozy banquette with a channel-tufted Zak + Fox Bayan-fabric back and a Moore & Giles Cuero-Brentwood-leather seat to hug the angular custom oak table with brass inlays. Smith chose a monochromatic grout for the glossy Caspian Sea ceramic Fireclay Tile backsplash for a saturated look. “I wanted to minimize decoration and knickknacks, and instead create interest through the materials—bold patterned fabrics, textured tiles, colorful carpets, carefully chosen wood grains, and surprisingly shaped built-ins,” Sutherland says.

On each side of the custom bed, Smith placed a 1950s Italian Stilnovo sconce and a midcentury nightstand. She then created a custom groovy asymmetrical bench that follows the angled line of the millwork. “The adjectives I asked for: “Timeless, cozy, serene, sunny, contemplative, private, organic, unpretentious,’’ Sutherland says.

“I'm really proud of that angled concrete bathtub,” admits Smith. “We were all trying to problem solve the space plan because the bathtub was getting in the way of walking into the shower. Then we came up with this angular shape that I'd never seen before, but it solves the circulation issue. It feels original. It's so big."

In the guest room, with its bold green Stark Melton Velvet carpeting and a brick-colored Zara Home Washed Linen Bedspread, Smith opted for teak-framed jute paneling from Phillip Jeffries Japanese Woven Jute. “I really love how the headboard fits in it,” she says. “It's really cool. It just feels very integrated.”

The guest bathroom combines vintage Verner Panton flowerpot pendants, Popham Design cement square tiles in Lawn green, and a Kristina Dam Studio rotating mirror. “I just love all of the plaster walls everywhere too,” Smith adds, referring to the Portola Paints Roman Clay in Shining. “That just gave a little bit of that velvety feel.”

An indoor-outdoor desk takes advantage of the temperate weather in the East Bay. “In the afternoon, I like to work with the doors fully open,” Sutherland says. “You get an amazing view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, and you get a gentle Bay breeze. I love writing from the outdoor desk as the sun is setting. The rosemary from the garden below wafts into the office. It’s a perfect sensory experience—the sunlight, the fragrance, the Bay view, the wood desk.”