Cordelia

Portfolio

Olive Hill.

Place · The California hills Scope · Lighting, shading, scenes, landscape Standing · Portfolio project

A single-storey house on a west-facing slope: one long room of living, kitchen, and dining behind a wall of sliding glass, a courtyard held by a stone wall and one old olive, and bedrooms that end the day in near darkness. The study designs the house hour by hour. At midday the shades carry the sun so the room needs nothing else. At dusk, five layers come up together as the terrace takes the view. By late night the house has stepped down to a fire, one lamp, and a path of light to bed.

The great room at midday, sheer shades tempering direct sun, all electric light off The great room at dusk, every layer lit low and warm The great room late at night, only the fire, one lamp, and a faint cove

The great room in its three governing scenes.

The Olive Hill courtyard at night, the olive softly uplit beside the reflecting pool

The courtyard after dark. Two fixtures in the tree, one grazing the wall, nothing on the water.

The gallery corridor in the evening, artworks each held in a pool of warm light
The gallery, lit for the walk rather than the wall.
The principal bedroom at night, shades lowered, two low amber lamps
The last scene of the day.

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Your house has
its own hours.

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