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JOHN BROWN is the editor of theslowhome.com and the founder of the Slow Home Movement. He is a registered architect, real estate broker and Professor of Architecture at the University of Calgary.

Letting In Light


Brightly-Lit Kitchen

Kitchen Window Detail

Range and Hood Vent Detail

Kitchen Island

Materials Detail

Kitchen Lights

Newly Enlarged Master Bath

Floor Plan

Cross Section
Famosi Residence

Walnut Creek,  US West

Wilson Associates

Related Entries: Parlette Residence,
Flooding daylight into a newly configured kitchen was the main goal of this remodel to a 1960's home in the hills above downtown Walnut Creek. To attain this goal the roof of the kitchen was raised six feet to allow large east facing expanses of glass and to open views of the natural hillside behind the home. The brightly day-lit kitchen is the new heart of the house. Walls were cleared away and full height cabinets integrate storage and conceal a small furnace closet. A slightly enlarged Master bathroom with an 'L' shaped skylight at the corner allows the walls to disappear into the sky and washes light down the glass mosaic tile surfaces. Fine detailing with stainless steel and plexi-glass compliment cabinets of cherry and maple throughout the house.






We believe that our homes and neighborhoods should be healthy, vibrant places that uplift the spirit and gracefully fit our needs. We call for an end to poor construction, bad design, misleading marketing, unfair lending practices and environmental neglect in the housing industry. We acknowledge our collective responsibility to create CLOSE, SIMPLE, LIGHT places to live that leave a positive legacy for future generations.

provides design focused information that homeowners can use to improve the quality of how and where they live. It takes its name from the slow food movement which arose as a reaction to the processed food industry. The sprawl of cookie cutter housing that surrounds us is like fast food - standardized, homogenous, and wasteful. It contributes to a too fast life that is bad for us, our cities, and the environment. In the same way that slow food raises awareness of the food we eat and how these choices affect our lives, Slow Home empowers you to take more control of your home and improve the quality of how you live while reducing your environmental impact and futureproofing the long term investment value of your home.