ARCHITECTURE
SACRAMENTO
Architects and owners : Melissa Szpik Serrao and Jay Serrao , Serrao Architecture + Construction
PHOTOS BY KAT ALVES COURTESY OF SERRAO DESIGN | ARCHITECTURE
Husband-and-wife architects Melissa Szpik Serrao and Jay Serrao have been practicing together for more than a quarter century . They met in the mid-1990s as architecture students at California College of the Arts and worked for the same downtown San Francisco firm before founding their own design and architectural firm in 1998 .
In 2007 , the couple bought an urban infill lot in Sacramento ’ s Land Park neighborhood , walkable to a number of nearby amenities . A move of their practice and family followed ( Serrao is a Sacramento native ). With an urban site , they felt it was important to address the street , but also focus inward to create privacy . The office , which is a more public space , is oriented toward the north and faces the street . The bedrooms and living areas , which are more private , open to the rear and the south where the natural Delta breeze cools the rooms . The home ’ s signature element , a decidedly modern butterfly roofline , is visually stunning but also creates a practical solution for filling the spaces with more natural light . “ It ’ s really a functional form , but an aesthetic nod to modernism and midcentury and other things we find joyful ,” says Szpik Serrao .
The material palette consists of durable , natural elements that are exposed and resilient . “ What we strive for is an honesty about our construction ,” says Serrao . “ When we create structure , we try to reveal that if we can .” Examples include exposed beams that support roof and floor loads , raw concrete block and natural woods . The floors are polished concrete . Outside , corrugated metal and oiled clear cedar have been designed to naturally patina .
Plantings , including mature palm trees and tropical vegetation , soften the exterior expression and provide a parklike environment in the urban setting . Oversized sliding glass doors tuck behind the interior wall to create seamless indoor-outdoor access to the comfortable backyard .
The 2,600-square-foot home was designed and built over four years during three-day weekends . The architects did most of the work themselves with the help of family . Serrao fabricated the open steel staircase , which was configured on-site , with his brother-in-law . He also built most of the interior cabinetry .
The couple maintains a 600-square-foot home studio where they do the bulk of their research and development for work . An extensive design library with detailed architectural models provides easy access to inspiration .
“ Design is one of those things for us that is an ongoing effort ,” says Serrao . “ Having a home studio has been a wonderful thing , because you never know when inspiration hits . I can pop up to the studio for an hour and work on an idea and come back down for dinner . I think that ’ s probably been the most consistent thing in our lives — we ’ ve always managed work and our family life together .”
68 comstocksmag . com | January 2021