About Joe Fletcher
Born and raised in London, UK, Joe Fletcher studied painting at Chelsea College of Art & Design, receiving his BA in Fine Art, and later attended London’s Goldsmiths University, graduating with a MFA in photography. In 2003, he left soggy London for foggy San Francisco. His photos have since been featured in magazines such as Wallpaper, Architectural Digest and San Francisco, displaying his aesthetic and his appreciation for the art of architecture and the beauty of light. Fletcher is also the photographer of two books Ranch Houses, Living the California Dream (Rizzoli) and Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House (Rizzoli). He now lives with his wife and two mischievous dachshund mutts in Oakland, CA
LOCATION: Oakland, California
LEARN MORE: joefletcherphoto.com
This 3200 SF single-family residence and accompanying 800 SF pool house were envisioned as a refuge cradled within the foothills of the San Bernardino National Forest. The design uses a series of thickened walls which run east-west along the topography of the dramatic mountain site to establish discrete programmatic zones and protect the interiors from the sun.
After a long search for a vacation home, our client’s patience paid off when a property in the remote Sea Ranch of California presented itself. When they saw the unique ocean front site, they instantly knew it would serve as the perfect escape from their fast-paced city life.
A historic Pelton Cottage survived the 1906 earthquake and fires only to be almost completely destroyed by a fire in 2013. Into this near blank slate we designed a “house within a house”, creating a two story volume and light shelf to bounce southern daylight between levels of the residence.
The Rondolino residence is based on the Modulome, the prefabricated, modular housing system first designed by Nottoscale in 2002. Located on a 40-acre site in the desert more than 100 miles north of Las Vegas, Nevada, the property is framed by mountains to the north and Death Valley to the West.
The original space, a 70’s era home with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay, lacked the unique charm and character desired to match the client’s eclectic tastes. Seeking to infuse a sense of their unique personal style, the homeowners tasked Feldman Architecture with the challenge of transforming the property into a sophisticated library of vinyl records, design books, and vintage Coca-Cola bottles
Atop a ridge in the Santa Lucia mountains of Carmel, California, an oak tree stands elevated above the fog and wrapped at its base in this ranch retreat. The weekend home’s design grew around the 100-year-old Valley Oak to form a horseshoe-shaped house that gathers ridgeline views of Oak, Madrone, and Redwood groves at its exterior and nestles around the tree at its center.
The Esherick Sea Cliff house itself is a flip plan, with living space on the top floor and bedrooms and a family room on the lower floor, with an entrance that leads right towards a grand staircase that became the central organizing element around which Edmonds + Lee began to operate
The home, which recently won an AIACC Honor Award, is located on an ex-urban infill site that covers almost eight acres of a Bay Area suburb at the base of the Oakland Hills, draped in rich green foliage and native oak trees.
