MLK WAY

This space-conscious renovation added a partial third floor to the home, giving the teenage twins of the family their own bedrooms and providing a family room for the kids and their friends to gather while handing back dad his intimate office space on the main level. A cozy sleeping loft, sitting above the new light filled bathroom, is accessible via a ladder from the double height family room. To the east, the family room opens with a window wall onto a balcony perch with breathtaking views of the Berkeley hills.

Window seats on two levels create spaces to congregate in both kitchen and the living areas and double as daybeds or overnight sleeping spots.

On the main level, the large welcoming kitchen with outdoor dining deck gives the family a place to get together and share food with their many friends. Close collaboration with the owner led to cost-saving solutions on a customized IKEA kitchen, with walnut cabinet faces balancing the dark finish of the original woodwork in the front of the house. We restored the redwood wainscoting and trim in the original living room and complemented it with new built-ins, window seat, book shelves and cabinetry, finished to match the existing woodwork.

At the exterior, the third story addition is set back from the front facade to not impose on the street and it is clad in warm grey metal siding and roofing that is long-lasting and virtually maintenance free. On the main and lower levels, orange-red integral color stucco exterior and dark bamboo siding and decking match the warm feeling of this home.

All new fixtures and appliances are electric in preparation for this home to become fully electric in the near future and to take full advantage of the new solar PV array and battery storage.

General Contractor: Alward Construction

Photos: Open Homes Photography

Photo Editing: Bénédicte Lassalle Photography & Box Brownie