In Atherton, A Luminous Modern Farmhouse

Author:Philip Ferrato

Architect Lauren Goldman said it best when she told us about her clients “As their family grew, their need for space did, as well.  As remodel veterans, they approached me with a clear vision of what worked for them from previous houses and what they needed for their dream house, which they’d be building from scratch.”

Clients who know what they need are the best clients, and this project by Goldman and her firm l’oro designs produced for a family of five in Atherton, in collaboration with interior designer Jeanne Moeschler, is a prime example of that mantra.



The result is a cohesive and sophisticated materials palette: a board+batten exterior and rough-form poured concrete under a standing seam metal roof, shiplap paneling, barn doors, and bare floors are all brought together in a new California farmhouse. It’s both deeply satifying visually and family-friendly, deliberately looking ahead to the kids growing up.


Upstairs, three compact bedrooms plus a master suite open to a private family/media room at the top of the stairs; the master bath is seriously romantic.


No longer an afterthought, here’s an increasingly popular solution to the dank, dark basement: open it to a sunken patio with stairs to the yard and the usable square footage increases dramatically.

Below, classic California vernacular simplicity.