Tasked with giving a California couple the ruggedly handsome house they pined for—one that engaged with its natural surroundings and brought the outside in—two principals at local firm Aidlin Darling Design did what any adventurous architects would to get acclimated to their new job site: They got out their camping gear. Showcased in the April/May 2015 issue of SFC&G (San Francisco Cottages & Gardens) magazine, the "industrially inspired" 4,000-square-foot Mill Valley dwelling is a real beaut, composed largely of gorgeous poured-concrete and sided in tough-luxe corrugated-metal panels. Sleeping under the stars on the land for a night, explains SFC&G, helped the designers gain a sense of the effect of shifting winds and subtle light changes on the landscape over the course of a day.
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