Morse and Cleaver Architects – Our Portfolio
Residences
![Diamond Residence - Jeff Morse, Architect Diamond Residence - Jeff Morse, Architect](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/diamond-3.jpg)
Designed in the wake of the great Berkeley fire, both the owners and I felt a need to try and give back some of the wonderful character that was so suddenly lost. Needing three stories to accommodate the building program that includes a second apartment for the owner’s mother, I chose the Gambrel roof form on the steep lot to reduce the mass of the building. That unique roof form also echoes a number of the earlier homes lost to the blaze. In a reaction to so many of the houses that were being built around it — huge mansions sheathed in stucco — we chose fire resistant cedar shingles over gypsum to evoke the loss of so many brown shingled cottages.
![Timber Frame Home - Claudia Cleaver, Architect Timber Frame Home - Claudia Cleaver, Architect](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/timber-frame-3.jpg)
![Briarcombe Residence - Jeff Morse, Architect Briarcombe Residence - Jeff Morse, Architect](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/briarcombe-Main-House-exterior-1.jpg)
All buildings were timber framed in old growth Redwood recycled from the Hammond Mill near Arcata on Northern California, dismantled years earlier but amazingly still available. Their roofs we laminated using 2X lumber recycled from a northern California Army Base. Bolinas is a fishing village with an artistic community which worked well with the residence program at Briarcombe. I was able to work with local boat builders, artisans and furniture makers to detail and the craft some very unique buildings as well as many of the interior furnishings to create an award-wining project.
![Cobb Poolhouse - Claudia Cleaver, Architect Cobb Poolhouse - Claudia Cleaver, Architect](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cobb-poolhouse-1.jpg)
This open air pavilion is made from cob using local soil. fibers and clay. The metal roof is supported by steel pipe columns with decorative brackets.
![Artist Studio Artist Studio](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/artist-studio-1.jpg)
This was one of the first Sonoma County strawbales and has stood up extremely well to the elements, remaining beautiful, comfortable and dry.
![Lake County Home - Claudia Cleaver, Architect Lake County Home - Claudia Cleaver, Architect](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/lake-county-1a.jpg)
The house on a small lot for a scientist and an artist needed to look beautiful and modern and be efficient with space and energy use.
Communities
![Rastra House Rastra House](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/rastra-1.jpg)
A simple passive solar house made with concrete insulated blocks from recycled polystyrene packing beans. Concrete floors, plaster walls, stone fireplace hearth, and counters provide mass to even out temperature range. Translucent polycarbonate panels provide a south facing warming porch for the house, plants and people.with decorative brackets.
![Blue Mountain Center for Meditation](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/thumbnails-blue-mountain.jpg)
Designed as the initial phase and communal hub of housing for a spiritual community of fifty in a secluded valley in Northern Marin County. This project was built primarily with recycled materials: partially framed with recycled Fir timbers, its Maple floors salvaged from an old high school gym and its tile “seconds” from a local manufacturer. Outer walls were shingled with Redwood sawn from 100-year-old stumps of virgin trees felled in the 1800’s in Mendocino County. Its tile roof was recycled from a building reroofed on the Stanford University campus.
Wineries
![Mazzocco Winery - Jeff Morse - Architect Mazzocco Winery - Jeff Morse - Architect](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/mazzocco-1.jpg)
![Soda Rock Winery - Jeff Morse - Architect Soda Rock Winery - Jeff Morse - Architect](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SR-4.jpg)
Commercial
![Laguna Foundation - Claudia Cleaver Architect Laguna Foundation - Claudia Cleaver Architect](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/laguna-foundation-1.jpg)
I was honored to design the meeting room structure for the foundation to meet LEED sustainability requirements and the foundation’s varied uses for the space. We worked with the landscape designers to store on site water in a flood zone area with a seasonal pond and dry stream beds that provide habitat , beauty, and flood control.
![The Sonoma Country Store - Claudia Cleaver, Architect The Sonoma Country Store - Claudia Cleaver, Architect](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sonoma-store-1.jpg)
The existing structure had been closed off to the street with a wall of lava stone. We completey redid the interior and exterior to meet the clients mercantile vision and historic guidelines. But we also wanted a contemporary feel so we left the redwood and the formed zinc decorations unpainted for an upscale modern look.
Remodels
![Chavez Kitchen Remodel - Jeff Morse, Architect Chavez Kitchen Remodel - Jeff Morse, Architect](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Chavez-3.jpg)
![Isaak Kitchen Remodel - Jeff Morse, Architect Isaak Kitchen Remodel - Jeff Morse, Architect](http://morsecleaver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Isaac-1.jpg)