942 Superba Avenue

Moore Ruble Yudelle, Architects :: Villa Superba – Venice :: Located in the heart of the charming Venice walk streets, architect John Ruble's former home is the perfect marriage of the classic California bungalow and more sophisticated, international sensibilities. While the intimate scale of the home is rooted in its humble 1920's origins, the language of the remodel and the resulting composition are enriched by Moore Ruble Yudell's post-modern aesthetic. The home presents an un-imposing single story to the street, politely stepping up to two stories toward the middle of the site, a courtesy to its neighbors and an inspiration at a time when many remodels sadly uses property line setbacks and height restrictions as design guidelines. Entering the home, a visitor is drawn into an expansive living room and formal dining room, articulated with formal columns and warmed by a large pyramidal skylight. Kitchen becomes breakfast room and beyond to an indoor-outdoor family room. Over-sized pairs of doors in family and bedrooms open onto a private courtyard for outdoor dining and gathering. Upstairs the magic continues with soaring interior volumes lit by windows stretching up to the undersides of roof rafters, bedroom and bathroom defined volumetrically as a sort of townscape of forms, and a ladder to rooftop views of city, mountains and sea. Materials chosen by the architect are consistent and restrained: hardwood floors, board and batten siding, generous wood windows and doors, stainless steel appliances, marble countertops. Experientially, this enchanted cottage is less like the urban compound one expects to find in Venice, and more like Robinson Caruso's island tree house.

Photography: Brian Thomas Jones