Designing a new, 1,030-square-foot house at the famed Sea Ranch development on the California coast was more than a building process for Turnbull Griffin Haesloop. Principals Eric Haesloop and Mary Griffin also built upon the legacy of firm founder William Turnbull, who in the early 1960s was a chief creative force behind the seminal site. Haesloop puts it simply: “It’s a special place that has evolved a lot.”

In the past four decades, the coastal settlement has grown to roughly 1,700 homes; orienting a new structure thus entailed challenges not faced in its formative years. This L-shaped residence, with an oblique view of the ocean, sits on a lot that bridges dense forest and open meadow — what Haesloop calls a “threshold” condition. That same phrase describes the kitchen, positioned at the intersection of the home’s living and sleeping wings.