Eccentric Craftsman
A new staircase and entry pavilion improves the circulation.

This gut renovation of a dilapidated craftsman-style house saved its eccentric form and shape while replacing its dark interior with a light-filled contemporary space. The house reflects the clients’ artistic personalities, utilizing native materials and colors indigenous to their homeland to create a very personal, meaningful design.

A new, glassed-enclosed entry, set in the front garden, welcomes visitors and leads directly to a new steel-and-glass staircase that extends the entire four floors. Topped by a large operable skylight, the textured glass and white-painted steel stairail is a delight to walk up and is a sculptural presence in this otherwise simple interior. Up half-level from the entry is the main family space consisting of open living and dining spaces, and a polygonal music room that offers perfect acoustics given its shape. A three-story addition at the rear allows for a great room with open kitchen, an expanded master suite at the second story, and a third-floor study with spectacular downtown views. The basement encompasses a “loud” room for drumming and impromptu jam sessions, a wine cellar, and access to the original two-car garage.

Sustainability was important to the client, and along with the standard green features such as solar and radiant heating, a rain catchment system with 1,500-gallon tanks was installed in the basement for irrigation and gray water usage. Ultimately, the greenest feature of the house was to design it to be “right-sized”, where the house was expanded only where functionally necessary, and every room has a purpose.