It was only a few months after Mork-Ulnes Architects had completed a trio of concrete guest houses for a private client in Northern California, when the region's terrible wildfires struck, destroying the property's main house – yet miraculously leaving the guest houses untouched. Soon after, the owner approached studio founder Casper Mork-Ulnes and his team to commission a new main home for the property, and Frame House was born. This is a Sonoma house specifically designed to withstand similar future disasters, while at the same time looking every inch the sleek, contemporary family home.
The project sits on an idyllic perch in the Sonoma hills, used as a retreat for a San Francisco family. The clients use the space for holidays and to get away with friends and extended family on long weekends. While the owners were lucky and nobody was harmed during the past wildfires, they were understandably very concerned about future incidences, putting fire-resistance high on the list of priorities. Mork-Ulnes obliged, working with a selection of fire-resistant building materials right from the outset.
The home is created around a two-storey concrete structure based on a three-dimensional grid, placed above a landscape of manzanita groves, pine-forested hillsides and the property’s pool area. ‘After the Nuns Fire of 2017 ravaged the surrounding area and damaged the property, the clients asked us to design a new house that would be armoured against future wildfires,’ says the architect. ‘The concept was to design an all-concrete house that is wrapped in a sacrificial layer of wood that gave a nod to the local vernacular farm structures in the area – so that its materiality still feels like it fits with a Northern California home, despite being structurally of concrete.'
Modernist influences of the West Coast midcentury legacy, the importance of light and air, as well as his own Nordic heritage played a role in Mork-Ulnes’ final design, delivering a residential property that feels generous, bright and finely tuned. Interiors and lighting by The Office of Charles De Lisle were composed to blend harmoniously with the overall architectural approach of this Sonoma house.
‘A deep loggia and a repetitive grid of columns create the structure of the house. The loggia creates both a respite from the hot Sonoma sun and a rhythmic pattern that provides the order and framework for the house. The grid structure defines the functions of the house and whether they are introverted or extroverted to the site, depending on if they are filled in with a void of glass or solid wall,' says Mork-Ulnes. Functional and aesthetically consistent, the house is a 21st-century retreat that responds to its site and circumstances.
INFORMATION
-
Rio Kobayashi’s new furniture bridges eras, shown alongside Fritz Rauh’s midcentury paintings at Blunk SpaceFurniture designer Rio Kobayashi unveils a new series, informed by the paintings of midcentury artist Fritz Rauh, at California’s Blunk Space
-
New York restaurant Locanda Verde’s second outpost will transport you to a different time and placeLocanda Verde’s expansive new Hudson Yards osteria exudes a sophisticated yet intimate atmosphere overflowing with art treasures
-
LVMH watch week 2025: everything we know so farOur guide to LVMH Watch Week 2025, taking place in New York and Paris, starting 21 January; keep an eye out for our updates
-
LA Mayor Karen Bass outlines her plan for rebuilding the cityFollowing the devastating LA wildfires, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, the city’s mayor has outlined her plan for reconstruction
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House, a Usonian modernist Michigan gem, could be yoursFrank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House in Michigan is on the market – a chance to peek inside the heritage modernist home in the countryside
-
Cabin House is a simple modernist retreat in the woods of North CarolinaDesigned for downsizing clients, Cabin House is a modest two-bedroom home that makes the most of its sylvan surroundings
-
A Texas ranch house blends Californian charm and Asian minimalism in a 'balance in hybridity'Pontious, a Texas ranch house designed by OWIU, is a home grounded in its owner's cultural identity, uniting Californian, Chinese and Japanese roots
-
The three lives of the Edith Farnsworth House: now, a modernist architecture icon open to allThe modernist Edith Farnsworth House has had three lives since its conception in 1951 by Mies van der Rohe; the latest is a sensitive renovation, and it's open to the public
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
A vacant Tribeca penthouse is transformed into a bright, contemporary eyrieA Tribeca penthouse is elevated by Peterson Rich Office, who redesigned it by adding a sculptural staircase and openings to the large terrace
-
We walk through Luther George Park and its new undulating pavilionLuther George Park by Trahan Architects and landscape architects Spackman Mossop Michaels opens to the public, showcasing a striking new pavilion installation – take a first look
