Steve Sharpe's recently completed residence in Somis is a dramatic departure from the more traditional home he dreamed of 20 years ago. Financial considerations forced him to delay construction, and over time his taste for modern design grew. Though some may see the house's aesthetic as urban, architect Zoltan Pali says the structure fundamentally is a country house responding to its setting. "Rural has always been associated with simplicity, sparseness and function," Pali says. "That is this house. I see it as a simple architectural expression with elements boiled down to their essence."