Our clients asked us to modernize and augment the social rooms of the house and add a modernist sanctuary Master suite to the back of the house, connected to the garden.

The traditional character of the front, exterior of the house was enhanced by the addition of a bay window in the living room. The social spaces; entry, living and dining, were opened to each other, yielding an open floor plan. A large skylight and custom walnut and fumed eucalyptus media and display cabinet enhance the space.

At the rear of the house, a different architectural style is introduced, with visual continuity provided by the grey stained oak flooring extending throughout. The introduction to this sanctuary is the Master closet area, at the same floor level as the main house. A few steps down the bedroom area reveals itself as light filled, with a completely glazed rear façade, high ceilings and a view of the yard’s landscape; hills and the crowns of neighboring trees. The glass wall is set at an angle responding to the intrusion of a neighbor’s garage. In the Master bathroom the calm and restrained color and materials pallet continues.

Stepping through the bedroom exterior doors, the deck is situated for privacy and creates a strong relationship to the garden.  The corner of the neighbor’s garage pinches the yard such that is divides the lot into a separate side courtyard and a more private rear yard. The smooth vertical cedar siding matches the intricacy of the craftsmanship of the interior and completes the naturalistic and serene character of the addition.

Photos by Langdon Clay

This addition included a new home gym, media/family room and powder room, all carved out of the hillside below the existing house.

The slatted light wall in the rear of the gym provides light where it otherwise would be the darkest. The custom design is made from reclaimed wood, Lumisite and LED strip lights. The clients are triathletes, live on the West coast but work on East coast time. They like to exercise before starting work. The LED lights are set to mimic the dawning East coast morning a few hours ahead, so that during the workout the clients can adjust to the time difference. All flooring is reclaimed mountain ash, which tilts up in the rear to form the slats of the light wall.

The side yard deck is both carved into and cantilevered over the steep hillside. To offer anchor points for plants to reside, the retaining wall is punctured. The cantilevered deck provides a sunny retreat right off the new family room/home theater for barbecuing, lounging and outdoor dining. The awnings and shade trellises, table and benches, built-in seat and storage trunk are custom designed and built from reclaimed cypress.

The home theater/family room is a true connector between the outdoors, the home gym and the kitchen and living areas. It is the family hub for activities ranging from homework and creative projects to dining and entertaining.

The doors separating the rooms fully retract into the wall cavities for maximum connection, or close to provide sound control and privacy.

The home theater’s large screen is fully retractable into the ceiling, showing off a sculptural, sound-absorbing felt wall custom designed by Kathryn Walter of FELT studio. The custom media cabinet below cantilevers off the wall. The theater is also equipped with blackout screens for an optimal viewing experience.

The theater projector is hidden in the upper cabinetry of a niche that doubles as the home office nook. The built-in desk has pull-out table top areas that hide charging stations for phones and other personal portable devices. Below the desk is a custom designer printer and filing cart. In the home gym, a second custom felt wall improves sound quality.

Photos by Langdon Clay

A thoughtful remodel of this 1923 Berkeley one-story residence resulted in a spacious and light-filled multi-generational home. A technically challenging solution included moving the home twelve inches before adding a second story, which was set back from the original first floor to meet local requirements. By stepping back the second story, the house blends in with adjacent homes at an attractive, residential scale. The clients chose to create a second-floor balcony from the new space, which is a fun “hangout” for children to play and do homework.

Placement of windows in unlikely areas such as the stairway landing and in the kitchen backsplash adds light throughout the home. And, the kitchen and living room have full sight lines to the backyard via floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Attractive touches such as the kitchen tile and new Redwood cladding on the exterior add color and vibrancy.

High ceilings and doors allow rooms to be expansive; one would not guess that this is a home to seven people—children to grandparents. The first floor includes a completely “barrier free” accessible bedroom and bathroom, while master and children's bedrooms are on the second floor. Clever dual use of spaces, such as the upstairs hallway that doubles as a play area, allow for a laudable “Bay Area footprint.”

This project was featured on the AIA East Bay 2016 Home Tour.

Photos by Shawn-Paul Luchin

In close collaboration with the client, this remodeled bathroom was designed as a super-efficient join of two pre-existing spaces to achieve a luminous indoor/outdoor feel. Minimalist custom windows, together with a floor-to-ceiling glass shower panel, create a seamless open view while preserving privacy with partial sandblasting. Recessed shelves and lighting establish a clean environment where personal items ca be tucked out of view yet still convenient and accessible. The solid, stain-resistant counter material was custom-built to integrate sinks into its continuous surface, and wall-hung cabinets below enhance the spacious quality and make cleaning easier. The gently sloping porcelain tile floor drains water in one direction.

Photos by Emily Olman

Our clients requested a second story addition to house a private master suite, so that pre-existing bedrooms could be repurposed for growing children. A Japanese bathroom harmonizes form and function, with areas to sit and soak, a custom Asnaro wood tub and custom wood panels made in Japan. With a tub built to overflow, a pan concealed under the floor boards catches water and provides a single drain for both shower and tub. Porcelain tiles on walls are custom cut to be as seamless as possible. Limestone flooring, smooth integral color plaster walls, and a recessed cabinet behind mirror extend the minimalist style. Skylights in the master bedroom add to the feeling of being in a special place tucked away from the bustle of the lower living areas.

We also converted the front entryway into an open porch seating area with new stairs, a custom railing, and Chinese Basalt stone steps. The experience of coming home now guides you gradually from the public street into a transitional space where you can remove your shoes and set down your belongings before continuing into the interior of the house. A new central stairway conveniently placed near the entry way vertically links all three floors.

Photos by Langdon Clay

Responding to the client’s request to design a secondary living/studio space, we divided a pre-existing two-car garage, preserving one half and demolishing the other. We then rebuilt the demolished half as a two-story unit, connected to the original garage. The driveway was also re-graded and laid with pebbles in between poured concrete slabs. This technique makes the concrete not only more visually appealing, but also more resistant to cracking.

Downstairs, the front door opens into an open kitchen/living area with a luminous skylight over the sink, and a small powder room is tucked under stairs. The concrete floor is polished and stained. Upstairs, the master bathroom features a recessed medicine cabinet, wall-mounted vanity, and blue glass tile.

Photos by Shawn-Paul Luchin

This comprehensive remodeling project included a new walkway and stone wall in front and a kitchen addition in the rear, opening out to the backyard. A comfortable and cozy bedroom was carved out of a former attic space with a pop-out roof and expanded wall dormer with high windows to let in ample natural light. Generous skylights over both sinks in the bathroom offers an example of how contemporary techniques can be used while preserving an classical ambiance. Re-configured as the primary entryway, the backyard entrance becomes a highly functional center of activity, connecting the kitchen with a new mud room, powder room, and laundry room. A wrap-around bench breakfast nook has large windows to let in plenty of morning light. In front of the house, the living and dining areas are now connected by a wide opening and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the wall leading upstairs.

Photos by Langdon Clay

Formerly the kitchen and laundry room were separate spaces, both closed off from the dining area. In this remodel, a high efficiency laundry area was integrated but discreetly hidden with fold-away doors. A Dutch door that opens top and bottom allows for easy ventilation while keeping pets safely in or out. The Bay window breakfast nook was re-imagined with a built-in bench, making the area easier to access, and removing a pre-existing wall and door connects the dining and kitchen spaces for more flexible use and entertaining. White-painted cabinets above and wood below gives both a grounded feeling and also a lightness that makes the space feel bigger and more expansive.

Photos by Michele Lee Wilson

Replacing an entire wall with floor-to-ceiling glass panels and sliding glass doors, the rear deck was raised to achieve a seamless, same-level flow from an open living/dining area to the outdoors. This shift invites greater use of the deck as alternative dining and entertaining, inspired by scenic views of the Bay. Making further efficient use of space, built-in cabinetry forms a clean boundary between the kitchen and the entry area.

Photos by Langdon Clay