Stone pavilions in California reinterpret modern architecture with a measured Tuscan inflection.

Project Overview

Stone Villa is a residence by Feldman Architecture in the Santa Lucia Preserve near Carmel, California, that interprets modern architecture through a series of low stone pavilions influenced by Tuscan villas. The house occupies a narrow ridge, distributing program across four buildings to engage gardens, breezeways, and outdoor rooms.

Positioned within rolling hills, trees, and meadowland, the project emphasizes movement through landscape as part of daily life. Thick stone walls, deep overhangs, and large openings frame long views while controlling sun and wind. The result is a calm, materially grounded domestic environment with clear spatial hierarchies and outdoor zones of varied character.

The main pavilion features large glass openings framed by stone walls, leading to an outdoor area with a firepit.

Site and Urban Context

Set high within a protected landscape between Carmel and Big Sur, the property spans 28 acres along a ridge. The massing follows topography, stepping with contours to reduce perceived bulk and maintain view corridors across the preserve. Drought-tolerant planting restores habitat and softens the transitions between paths, courtyards, and building edges, re-establishing the hillside meadow’s continuity with the surrounding terrain.

Design Concept in Modern Architecture

Rather than a single house, the design reads as a compact hamlet: four stone volumes separated by gardens and linked by breezeways. This dispersal reduces footprint on the narrow ridge and creates microclimates—some enclosed and sheltered, others open to prevailing breezes. A tower and rooftop deck punctuate the composition, offering elevated views into the tree canopy and across the preserve.

The concept draws from traditional Tuscan precedents—masonry heft, calibrated openings, and outdoor courts—recast with cleaner detailing and restrained ornament. Comparable attention to indoor–outdoor thresholds appears in projects such as Bamboo Pathways and Interwoven Traditions, where circulation is choreographed through exterior passages and planted intervals.

Spatial Organization

Program is distributed across four primary structures: a main living pavilion; an owner’s pavilion with bedroom suite and office; a guest suite paired with a pool cabana; and a detached garage. The pool occupies the interstitial space between buildings, becoming a central outdoor room.

Circulation alternates between interior corridors and open-air links, with breezeways drawing air through the ensemble. Arrival is intentionally quiet, guided by stone walls toward shaded recesses, with the entry sequence unfolding through path, court, and door. The living and dining spaces open to broad views; the kitchen anchors social activity with direct access to outdoor dining. The owner’s office, set apart in the private pavilion, looks outward to trees and sky.

Materials and Facade

The envelope is defined by locally sourced St. Helena Cottage stone and thick granite walls, paired with reclaimed teak for warmth at doors, soffits, and select cladding. Openings are carved with depth to emphasize shadow, while overhangs temper solar gain. The material palette is deliberately consistent across pavilions, extending through the pool precinct and outdoor shower so that landscape rooms read as architectural continuities rather than add-ons. For broader material context, the use of reclaimed wood aligns with practices discussed in architectural salvage: the complete guide to reclaimed building materials.

Outdoor pathways and gardens connecting the pavilions enhance the experience of the natural landscape.

Light, Climate, and Atmosphere

Deep eaves moderate high sun, and the spacing of pavilions enables cross-ventilation through breezeways and garden courts. Large glazed openings draw daylight into the living pavilion and across the dining and kitchen areas, while more filtered light characterizes private rooms. Around the pool, changing shadow patterns articulate the day; evenings consolidate activity at the firepit and terraces. Drought-tolerant planting and native restoration contribute to microclimate comfort and tie the architecture to its context.

Design Highlights

• Four discrete stone pavilions step with a ridge, reducing apparent mass and preserving views.
• Program zoning separates public living, owner’s suite with office, guest suite/cabana, and garage.
• A tower and rooftop deck provide elevated outlooks over the preserve and tree canopy.
• Consistent palette of St.
• Helena Cottage stone, granite, and reclaimed teak emphasizes continuity.
• Deep overhangs and carved apertures manage sun, shade, and framed views.
• Breezeways and exterior paths make outdoor movement a primary circulation strategy.
• Pool set among the pavilions acts as a central outdoor room with visual enclosure and expansive views.

Key Facts

Frequently Asked Questions

Who designed the project and who led the team?

Feldman Architecture designed the residence, led by Jonathan Feldman, FAIA, with a team including Ben Welty, Liza Karimova, Michael Trentacosti, and Jeff Wheeler.

What materials define the exterior?

Locally sourced St. Helena Cottage stone and thick granite walls form the primary envelope, complemented by reclaimed teak at select elements and deep roof overhangs.

How is the home organized across the site?

The house is divided into four pavilions—living, owner’s suite with office, guest suite with pool cabana, and a detached garage—linked by gardens, pathways, and breezeways.

What role does the landscape play?

Landscape design by Ground Studio establishes drought-tolerant gardens and restored habitat, guiding circulation between buildings and shaping microclimates around the pool and courts.

In its calibrated use of landscape-linked circulation, the project resonates with strategies seen in Modular Harmony in East Hampton, while its traditional-to-contemporary dialogue parallels themes explored in Interwoven Traditions: A Modern Long Island Retreat and exterior sequence-making akin to Bamboo Pathways: A Modern Home's Indoor-Outdoor Flow.