A California Designer Creates a Home That Will Last a Lifetime

For her cheerful, butterfly-roofed house, designer Susie St. John thinks ahead with an entry ramp and wheelchair-accessible halls and showers.

Jul 14, 2021 - 01:34

A California Designer Creates a Home That Will Last a Lifetime

For her cheerful, butterfly-roofed house, designer Susie St. John thinks ahead with an entry ramp and wheelchair-accessible halls and showers.

No-fuss, sturdy materials, like Kahrs oak chevron floors that camouflage dirt and easy-care black metal siding, free up time for family.

"If I had built this house after design school, it would have felt like a warehouse, all cold concrete and glass," says Susie St. John, founder of Embrio Design Studio in San Diego. But supporting her mother through years battling cancer in environs ill-suited to someone with impaired mobility fundamentally redefined Susie’s concept of home.

The butterfly roof adds a joyful kineticism to the exterior while creating practical angles ideal for solar panels and rainwater collection.
Photo: Susie St John

The 2,740-square-foot, butterfly-roofed house she designed for herself, husband Rick, and their 11-year-old son, Otto, in Carlsbad, California, is squarely focused on family, including extended family in the area. "I wanted it to feel like a home for everyone, like somebody giving you a hug," she says.