Having a passion for surf and sun, Stuart Gasner and Kate Ditzler built a dream second-home escape for themselves, their five children and friends on a vast meadow concealed in the mountains of Aptos, just south of the surfing community of Santa Cruz in California. The compound-style retreat pulls inspiration from California barns and pastoral cabin chemicals found in Sweden’s Stockholm archipelago, where the couple has traveled.
Cass Calder Smith of CCS Architecture helped create the home, which they now use for everything from weekend getaways to work retreats and New Year’s Eve parties. “We wanted the area to be superflexible,” says Ditzler. “It readily accommodates 25, while also feeling intimate with only both people.”
at a Glance
Who lives here: Kate Ditzler and Stuart Gasner
Location: Aptos, California
Size: 2,800 square feet on 16 acres; 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 cabins and a barn
That is intriguing: The couple plans to make a hiking trail around the 16-acre property.
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The pair worked with designer Lynn Ross of Lynn Ross Designs to the interiors. “She was a fantastic resource in making the house more functional, and saved us a ton of money,” says Ditzler.
They commissioned San Francisco artist Jeff Canham to make the piece on the living room wall.
Couch, seat: Roche Bobois; carpeting: Krimsa
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California painter Antoinette Von Grone’s “Timber Baron of Mendocino County” bit hangs in the dining area. Thomas Schwaiger Design, a manufacturer of hand-made furniture in Murrieta, California, created the rustic chandelier.
Table: Restoration Hardware; chairs: Scandinavian Designs; rug: Krimsa
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Each the furniture and interior elements were designed to maintain a rustic but elegant look, Ross says.
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“Like the cottages we saw on the rocky outcroppings in Sweden, the house is made for outside household living that is not like everyday life,” says Gasner. The main house is one 60-foot room with a living area, dining area and kitchen. The walls of windows are huge sliding doors which open up the space completely to the lawn outside.
“We adore the sunshine streaming in the big windows and everybody gathered around the massive island, chatting while eating, drinking and cooking,” says Ditzler.
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“Kate is drawn to quite minimalist style but still friendly and inviting. She was especially interested in a house that was simple to keep tidy and clean,” Gasner says.
Cabinet paint: Caliente, Benjamin Moore; chairs: Scandinavian Designs
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The exterior siding is custom reclaimed barn wood from Vermont. The couple managed to pick the style and color they wanted. The siding is 50 percent reddish, 25 percent brown and 25 percent grey.
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Inspired by a camp-like setting, the couple decided to not incorporate a bathroom on the main floor of the house, requiring their visitors to go out to use the Costanoa-style communal bathroom — Costanoa is a local coastal retreat website. In the communal bathroom at the couple’s home are two bathrooms, a massive stone shower with two showerheads and a family-style sink.
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“The bathroom becomes one of the most popular hangouts,” says Ditzler. “Everybody is frequently in here talking and getting ready”
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Cedar timber paneling lines the inside ceilings and walls. Walnut was used on the staircase and the kitchen island.
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Calder Smith made the stairs landing to possess visual attention with the addition of architectural details such as an opening which overlooks the dining area.
Artwork: Charles Prentiss
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The upstairs bedroom is the only bedroom in the main house. (there’s another structure with guest bedrooms in addition to onsite sleeping cottages.) The bedroom overlooks the house and contains a view of Monterey Bay on clear days.
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Gasner sits in his home office. The space includes the bathroom in the house.
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A window in the bedroom overlooks the living area and the fireplace.
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Ditzler and Calder Smith disagreed on particular features of the home, such as adding this Woods background by Cole & Son and window treatments to the guest bedrooms. Ditzler feels these elements give the rooms a cozier and more personal feel, while Calder Smith favors a more open aesthetic.
Bed framework: La Lune Collection, from Kathy Greatest Design
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Contractor Brian Bedell came up with an assortment of suggestions to save the cash and to maximize distance. He turned the empty space over the guest room cabinets into additional sleeping lofts.
“There’s a limited age group that can use the lofts,” notes Gasner. “You need to be young enough to still sleep in a room with your parents, but not young enough to fall, and not so old that you can not get up the ladder”
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Capitola landscape designer Natalain Schwartz used native shrubs and trees, succulents and indigenous grasses to get a low-fuss yard; a meadow and drama place contains Agrostis pallens. “She was very responsive to our desire to maintain monthly maintenance to a minimum, and made around the fact that we are part-time residents and desired to get a low-maintenance setting,” says Ditzler.
“The focus of the landscape design for this gorgeous property was motivated by Kate and Stuart’s desire to connect with the land,” says Schwartz. “The plants were selected to fit the present environment and be harmonious with the style of their property. I concentrated on function, form, texture and year-around interest, such as plants which covered a lot of territory.”
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“I included plants with specific traits,” Schwartz continues. “Ones which were not covetous with water and offered a pattern of foliage of color on the hillside yearlong, also supported the natural habitat of birds. Even with the struggle of bull, gopher and wild turkey, the plantings remain successful to this day with little replacement.”
She added LED fixtures to illuminate the property’s staircase and pathways using nominal uplighting.
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The couple wanted to be as environmentally conscious as possible when building their home, and to take full benefit of their luminous environment. Below the pool is a row of solar panels, which heat water for the entire house; the solar power that’s left heats the pool.
Each of the fencing, pathways and mulch were produced from repurposed natural substances found on site.
More: The best way to pick a mulch
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“We have called the property Ola Grande, which is Spanish for ‘big wave,'” says Ditzler. Besides referring to Gasner’s enthusiasm for surfing and the massive sloping meadow front, the name is a nod to Gasner’s strategy to battles in life, which, like surfing big waves, normally go better once you paddle hard and don’t hesitate, he says.
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“We initially hoped for a simple house with a lot of contemporary prefab parts, but it ended up very customized and far more expensive than we hoped,” says Gasner. “We were so happy with the final product that we’ve mostly gotten over the cost.”
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Among the biggest challenges the CCS design group faced was the sloping nature of their house. To attain flat, comfortable spaces, they created a retaining wall which solved problems while developing a spacious, flat lawn.
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“The house felt like our own when we hosted our first family reunion, Camp Gasner, in July 2009, and we’ve loved hosting our families for reunions and Thanksgivings ever since,” says Ditzler. “We always enjoy bringing the playful side from people with the camp-like atmosphere” A high point for Gasner was hosting his group of finest surfer buddies for a weeklong surf camp and “seeing the men make the most of each characteristic of the area, from sauna to hot tub, to billiard table, to horseshoe pit,” he says.
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There’s a patio out the sleeping quarters with Adirondack chairs that are fantastic for relaxing and enjoying the view. Beyond is a sauna which Gasner installed himself.
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The overhangs off the primary house and the sleeping quarters did not have columns for support in the initial design. But after the home was built, the couple decided to include them to better frame the distance, giving the modern concept just a little bit of traditional style.
To save money, the beams are made of glulam rather the steel.
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A path leads from the primary sleeping quarters to two tent-style cottages, offering more sleeping space for guests. “Our guests love them,” says Ditzler. “They’re normally the first spoken for.”
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The couple bought the cottages on the internet; they came with all the bits but needed to be built by hand.
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The decoration of the cottages has.
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The house had a license for a barn, so the couple chose to assemble one. They use it to celebrations and billiards for everything from surfboard storage.
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Kate Ditzler and Stuart Gasner unwind with their two dogs, Apollo and Athena.
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