Carmel Magazine

A native of Winnetka, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, Hood got the building bug at a young age. "My dad fixed up houses and resold them," he says. "Some of my earliest memories are of going to the lumber yard with him when I was four. The smell of the wood got me hooked on construction." By the age of nine, he was making floor plan drawings. Architecture is taken quite seriously in Chicago, and Hood followed in the footsteps of some of the historical greats of the field, including Louis Sullivan, Mies van der Rohe, Charles Wellborn Root Sr. and Daniel Burnham. After a period of apprenticeship, the young Hood struck out on his own, establishing his practice as the head of a design/build firm. "I hired half my graduating class to work with me," he recalls. It was a scrappy company, full of young architects who were willing to get their hands dir ty and the experience armed him with a solid foundation in how buildings are constructed. "I've worked in all the trades," Hood says, "so I know how things are done on the job site." After relocating to California and establishing himself in Marin County, Hood came to Mon- terey, initially to work on the Sunset Magazine (Top) A Japanese-inspired dressing room, Sausalito. (Right) Hood with client Sue Walters and contractor Peter Winters at the ground- breaking for Walters' home. (Bottom) Hood traveled the New England coast gathering inspiration for this Kentfield home. 222 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 5 Photo: Tim Isom Photo: Michael Bruk

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