Challenged to create a compact home with strong functionality and interesting details, this elegant house economizes square footage and provides a response to the way this family really lives. Eliminating the main circulation corridors throughout the ground floor, and permitting the principle rooms to open up into each other (without the traditional divisions), the design creates a sense of space and grandeur within a deceptively small footprint. An abundant use of natural light through careful window placement is enhanced by the one-of-a-kind ravine setting to the rear, which becomes visible from any spot on the ground floor. Artificial lighting choices, including deep linear incandescent light recesses, compliment the natural lighting and serve as accents throughout the home adding to its sense of space and drama.