Carmel Magazine

Idea House at Monterra and then to design the Refuge at Carmel Valley Athletic Club. Deciding to become a full-time Peninsula res- ident, Hood Architecture moved into offices in Monterey and soon grew to a size that the architect was uncomfor table with, and during the economic downturn following the 2008 financial crisis, scaled back to the one-man operation he maintains today at his Carmel home. And that's a good thing. "By keeping my practice really small," he says, "I have the luxury of lavishing attention on ever y project. When a client hires me, they get me…not an apprentice or colleague." Once the parameters of a project are agreed upon, Hood constructs a detailed model of the proposed structure, presenting to the client a three dimensional image. He makes these exqui- site constructions himself, and takes to the work with the relish of a kid building a model airplane. "That gives a client a chance to really get a feel for the building," he says. Only when that model is tweaked to perfection are blueprints and detailed plans are made up. "I develop a story line for every project I work on," Hood explains. For example, for the Sunset Idea House, he focused on the prove- nance of the site, located off Highway 68 near Tarpy Flats. "The adobe wall is meant to suggest a remnant of the Mission days, while the barn- like structure adjacent to the house pays hom- age to the area's ranching past," he says. "Finally, the main house represents the present: a mod- ern house in a luxury housing development." As do many creative souls, Hood also has another artistic outlet: he's played saxophone since he was a lad, performing throughout the Chicago area. "In fact, when I was apprenticing in an architectural firm after college, I was mak- ing more playing music at night," he laughs. Currently, Hood has two homes under con- struction in Carmel Valley's Santa Lucia Preserve, an enclave with stringent environ- mental, ecological and architectural standards. But those are challenges he relishes, and is uniquely qualified for. "My projects hide in plain sight," he says. "And because they fit into the landscape so well, I believe that I'm destined to be an unknown architect—but one who is famous with his clients." For more information on Thomas Bateman Hood, go to www.thomasbatemanhood.com. d o o w dw rd rd a Ha ƚ Ŷ Ğ Đ Đ < Ő Ŷ ŝ ǀ ŝ > Ő Ŷ ŝ Ŷ ŝ LJ Ă ǁ LJ ƌ ƚ Ŷ ƚ > < ĐĐĞŶƚ Taft & & e re re u t i n rn rn u Fu m o Ho ŵ Ž Ž ƌ Ě Ğ Θ Ś ƚ Ă Ŷ Ğ Ś Đ ƚ ŝ Ğ ƌ Ƶ ƚ ŝ Ŷ ƌ Ƶ & Ě Ğ &ƵƌŶŝƚƵƌĞ ƚ Ś ƚŚ Θ Ě v e n u e , P a c i f i c G r o 5 8 1 L i g h t h o u s e A - Teak e m r o c é D Ğ ů ď Ă d Θ Ś ƚ Ă Ě Ɛ Ŷ Ğ Ŷ ŝ > ů ŝ Wŝ >ŝŶĞŶƐ Ě ƚŚ Θ d ď v e P a c i f i c G r o P a c i f i c G r o v e 8 3 1 3 7 3 3 8 0 1 w w w . t a f t a n d t e a k . c o m / > s K > ^ h > ' E / s z > ^ h K / 224 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 A native of Winnetka, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, Hood got the building bug at a young age.

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