Bold Color and Contemporary Barn House Charm
A designer with a love of bright color updates her 1890s cottage to create a modern-meets-traditional San Francisco home
Interior designer, color consultant and Houzz contributor Jennifer Ott and her husband, Russell Poldrack, a professor of neuroscience, have moved a lot for Poldrack’s work over the years; Ott can do her design business anywhere, so she has always been game to pick up and relocate when needed. Plus, it has given her the chance to do what she loves best: fix up run-down houses. And the more run-down, the better.
That’s because working on fixer-uppers hones her design skills and lets her inject her personality and love of bright, saturated color into a home. Also, in a place like San Francisco, where she and her husband moved in 2014 and where all-cash bidding wars are the norm, a home in need of lots of attention often goes unnoticed and unwanted, which is perfect for Ott. “I like fixer-uppers,” she says. “I’m a designer, so I like to do my own thing.”
Her latest endeavor was a years-long renovation of an 1890s Victorian cottage that had seen much better days. The home — with its plastic adornments on a low-grade plywood exterior, abundance of black-and-white tiled interiors, and finished-out attic space with only a five-foot clearance and accessible only by a tight spiral staircase — attracted no offers to buy, except from Ott and her husband. “We knew this house needed a major renovation and it was not going to be for the faint of heart,” Ott says. “No one would want to flip it. There were a lot of things going against it, so there was no competition.”
Today, though, is a much different story. The couple took the house almost to the ground and built it back up into a modern barn house-meets-Victorian home full of vibrant and charming blues, greens and yellows.
That’s because working on fixer-uppers hones her design skills and lets her inject her personality and love of bright, saturated color into a home. Also, in a place like San Francisco, where she and her husband moved in 2014 and where all-cash bidding wars are the norm, a home in need of lots of attention often goes unnoticed and unwanted, which is perfect for Ott. “I like fixer-uppers,” she says. “I’m a designer, so I like to do my own thing.”
Her latest endeavor was a years-long renovation of an 1890s Victorian cottage that had seen much better days. The home — with its plastic adornments on a low-grade plywood exterior, abundance of black-and-white tiled interiors, and finished-out attic space with only a five-foot clearance and accessible only by a tight spiral staircase — attracted no offers to buy, except from Ott and her husband. “We knew this house needed a major renovation and it was not going to be for the faint of heart,” Ott says. “No one would want to flip it. There were a lot of things going against it, so there was no competition.”
Today, though, is a much different story. The couple took the house almost to the ground and built it back up into a modern barn house-meets-Victorian home full of vibrant and charming blues, greens and yellows.
Before: The original plan was to keep all exterior walls and simply raise the roof, but once demolition began, builder Blair Burke discovered that the walls were leaning and that a poor restudding job done in the 1960s hadn’t helped the situation. The roof and most of the walls had to come down, and the structure had to be rebuilt. “It was a bit of a shock, because I had wanted to reuse as much of the existing structure as possible and be mindful of wasting materials, but it was good in the end,” Ott says. “We have a better structure now.”
Once the demolition started, Ott and Poldrack moved into a rental loft about three miles away in the Dogpatch neighborhood. That meant Ott could visit the job site every day to check on progress.
Once the demolition started, Ott and Poldrack moved into a rental loft about three miles away in the Dogpatch neighborhood. That meant Ott could visit the job site every day to check on progress.
After: The new structure includes cedar siding stained in Benjamin Moore’s Arborcoat in Chelsea Gray and run vertically for a modern twist. The steep roofline complements other rooflines on the street and, coupled with the siding, creates a contemporary “barn house vibe as a nod to the earliest settlers to the area, which were farmers and ranchers. This area was originally ranch land and probably had modest gable-roofed shacks after the earthquake [in 1906]. So this new design pays homage to those early structures,” Ott says.
She would have liked to go a little more contemporary with the design, but architect Sarah Willmer advised her that she’d have an easier time getting city permits if there was a little nod to traditional style. “The city likes to see you blend in with neighboring homes,” Ott says. “You can fight the city and throw a bunch of money into it, but we weren’t looking to completely stand out nor raise the ire of our neighbors. What we came up with instead is a very clean and simple design. It’s a nice compromise between contemporary and traditional.”
Other design decisions included raising the roof 6 feet in the front and 10 feet in the back. “San Francisco allows you to create a ‘mullet’ house,” Ott says. “They have strict limits about curbside appearance, but at the back will let you go taller and [they] don’t care as much about style and materials [there]. Hence our rear-elevation siding and windows are different from the front — rear being way more budget-friendly.”
She also clad the big windows in extruding metal frames without molding or trim to keep the look clean and contemporary.
Ott loves bright, vibrant colors, so she painted the stair treads and border around the front door a bright teal (Soft Spruce by Benjamin Moore), which she or a future homeowner can easily change. “I’m a fan of limiting the more adventurous colors to places that are easy to change,” Ott says. The stair risers and front door are painted in Westcott Navy by Benjamin Moore.
As for the layout, the first floor contains the kitchen, the living room, a small office and a powder room, while the upper floor contains the master suite and a guest bedroom and bathroom. The ground floor has a garage for two cars (bumper to bumper), a full bathroom that wasn’t renovated this time, a laundry room and a storage room.
She would have liked to go a little more contemporary with the design, but architect Sarah Willmer advised her that she’d have an easier time getting city permits if there was a little nod to traditional style. “The city likes to see you blend in with neighboring homes,” Ott says. “You can fight the city and throw a bunch of money into it, but we weren’t looking to completely stand out nor raise the ire of our neighbors. What we came up with instead is a very clean and simple design. It’s a nice compromise between contemporary and traditional.”
Other design decisions included raising the roof 6 feet in the front and 10 feet in the back. “San Francisco allows you to create a ‘mullet’ house,” Ott says. “They have strict limits about curbside appearance, but at the back will let you go taller and [they] don’t care as much about style and materials [there]. Hence our rear-elevation siding and windows are different from the front — rear being way more budget-friendly.”
She also clad the big windows in extruding metal frames without molding or trim to keep the look clean and contemporary.
Ott loves bright, vibrant colors, so she painted the stair treads and border around the front door a bright teal (Soft Spruce by Benjamin Moore), which she or a future homeowner can easily change. “I’m a fan of limiting the more adventurous colors to places that are easy to change,” Ott says. The stair risers and front door are painted in Westcott Navy by Benjamin Moore.
As for the layout, the first floor contains the kitchen, the living room, a small office and a powder room, while the upper floor contains the master suite and a guest bedroom and bathroom. The ground floor has a garage for two cars (bumper to bumper), a full bathroom that wasn’t renovated this time, a laundry room and a storage room.
Before: This shot was taken in the old kitchen, after minor renovations had been done, looking toward the backyard.
As mentioned, Ott pulled up several layers of flooring to discover this black ceramic tile. “Of all the things, the black ceramic tile was the better one to have temporarily,” she says, “though I quickly learned why the previous owner had covered it up. It was impossible to keep looking clean.”
Ott bumped out this window wall a couple of feet into the backyard to increase the square footage.
As mentioned, Ott pulled up several layers of flooring to discover this black ceramic tile. “Of all the things, the black ceramic tile was the better one to have temporarily,” she says, “though I quickly learned why the previous owner had covered it up. It was impossible to keep looking clean.”
Ott bumped out this window wall a couple of feet into the backyard to increase the square footage.
After: The back door stayed in the same place, but you can see the bump-out that now supports a sink, dishwasher and cabinetry.
Ott wanted to keep the colors light but says she doesn’t like all-white spaces. “I need my color,” she says. “My idea was to use saturated color but in a way that’s a bit restrained. And I wasn’t necessarily going for a beachy vibe, but that’s where I ended up going.”
She introduced mostly cool hues — blues, greens and grays. “I went for vibrant color but also included a good bit of white to keep the space light and bright,” she says. “I never have to turn the lights on until the sun starts going down. It’s nice to not use artificial light until nighttime.”
The back door color (Soft Spruce by Benjamin Moore) matches that of the front door’s border.
The stair risers seen on the left are painted a custom color that Ott says is a close match to Apples and Pears by Benjamin Moore. The color in the bar area, seen farther back on the left, is also custom, close to Chic Lime by Benjamin Moore.
The butcher-block section extending off the middle of the island was a happy accident. Ott wanted a large island for big gatherings of friends with plenty of space for prepping and collecting dishes. But the soapstone countertop didn’t come in a slab the size she wanted, and she didn’t want to have a seam in the island. To gain the extra space she wanted, she designed a 2-by-5-foot maple butcher-block countertop; one end sits snugly on top of the soapstone countertop and the other on hairpin legs, an idea that Ott first saw on Houzz. She can slide the piece in to create a chopping station right by the sink, or slide it out to create a two-person dining spot, or slide it all the way out and down the island to accommodate four people. “It’s a problem that turned into one of the features I love the most,” she says.
Wall and ceiling paint: White Wisp, Benjamin Moore
Ott wanted to keep the colors light but says she doesn’t like all-white spaces. “I need my color,” she says. “My idea was to use saturated color but in a way that’s a bit restrained. And I wasn’t necessarily going for a beachy vibe, but that’s where I ended up going.”
She introduced mostly cool hues — blues, greens and grays. “I went for vibrant color but also included a good bit of white to keep the space light and bright,” she says. “I never have to turn the lights on until the sun starts going down. It’s nice to not use artificial light until nighttime.”
The back door color (Soft Spruce by Benjamin Moore) matches that of the front door’s border.
The stair risers seen on the left are painted a custom color that Ott says is a close match to Apples and Pears by Benjamin Moore. The color in the bar area, seen farther back on the left, is also custom, close to Chic Lime by Benjamin Moore.
The butcher-block section extending off the middle of the island was a happy accident. Ott wanted a large island for big gatherings of friends with plenty of space for prepping and collecting dishes. But the soapstone countertop didn’t come in a slab the size she wanted, and she didn’t want to have a seam in the island. To gain the extra space she wanted, she designed a 2-by-5-foot maple butcher-block countertop; one end sits snugly on top of the soapstone countertop and the other on hairpin legs, an idea that Ott first saw on Houzz. She can slide the piece in to create a chopping station right by the sink, or slide it out to create a two-person dining spot, or slide it all the way out and down the island to accommodate four people. “It’s a problem that turned into one of the features I love the most,” she says.
Wall and ceiling paint: White Wisp, Benjamin Moore
Here’s a look at the butcher-block piece rearranged to form a bar-height countertop. Ott can also move the table at the end of the island out to accommodate more seating during parties.
The floors are concrete-look laminate.
The floors are concrete-look laminate.
Before: Here’s a view of the back corner of the previous kitchen.
After: This photo was taken from the same angle. The corner now contains cabinetry and the range.
This photo also provides a closer look at the movable butcher-block piece, here arranged as a four-seat counter.
This photo also provides a closer look at the movable butcher-block piece, here arranged as a four-seat counter.
Here the same piece is configured as a two-seat breakfast bar. “It’s been a great piece,” Ott says.
Before: Ott says the existing kitchen and bathroom were last redone in the early 1990s but had a 1980s aesthetic to them. “It was an ugly kitchen, but the appliances were decent and it was surprisingly spacious for the vintage,” she says.
After: The same wall now houses a large range. The cabinets are Ikea with light ash-look melamine door and drawer fronts.
Ott mixed high and low materials and features rather than having everything priced right down the middle of her cost range. “I picked a few things to splurge on and offset those to save money,” she says.
For example, the backsplash is made of 5-by-5-inch waterproof shampoo bottle stickers that Ott custom-designed. She made the decals through Avery, an online label-making company, then installed them herself. The total cost of the backsplash was $100, she says. The only place she couldn’t install the labels was above the range, which requires a more fireproof material to meet code. There she used a piece of unsealed zinc that will patinate over time.
She used painted teal (Largo Teal by Benjamin Moore) in blocks behind the open shelves next to the range. “ I have decent dishes that I wanted to stand out,” she says. “When using intense colors, you want to find small pockets that make sense to put that color, such as a niche or nice geometric area that can take color. To me, saturated color is the salt in the recipe. It’s the spice. If you don’t have the spices or the salt, it’s just bland.”
The countertops are soapstone.
Ott mixed high and low materials and features rather than having everything priced right down the middle of her cost range. “I picked a few things to splurge on and offset those to save money,” she says.
For example, the backsplash is made of 5-by-5-inch waterproof shampoo bottle stickers that Ott custom-designed. She made the decals through Avery, an online label-making company, then installed them herself. The total cost of the backsplash was $100, she says. The only place she couldn’t install the labels was above the range, which requires a more fireproof material to meet code. There she used a piece of unsealed zinc that will patinate over time.
She used painted teal (Largo Teal by Benjamin Moore) in blocks behind the open shelves next to the range. “ I have decent dishes that I wanted to stand out,” she says. “When using intense colors, you want to find small pockets that make sense to put that color, such as a niche or nice geometric area that can take color. To me, saturated color is the salt in the recipe. It’s the spice. If you don’t have the spices or the salt, it’s just bland.”
The countertops are soapstone.
Before: This shot of the opposite corner of the old kitchen shows an oddly placed cabinet with sink that prevented the back door from opening all the way. The doorway to the left of it led to what was a bathroom, which meant if the door was open, whoever was in the kitchen might be looking at the toilet.
After: Ott replaced the cabinet with a recessed bar area and transformed the bathroom into a small office that could become a small bedroom in the future if needed.
The open stairwell with custom-fabricated steel railings helps bring light from upstairs skylights to this floor.
The open stairwell with custom-fabricated steel railings helps bring light from upstairs skylights to this floor.
Before: This area opposite the kitchen was the old master bedroom.
After: Ott converted the former master bedroom into a living room and painted some accent walls in the same color as that behind the open shelves in the kitchen (Largo Teal by Benjamin Moore).
Ironically, Poldrack is colorblind and has trouble differentiating between purples, blues and greens, so he leaves the color choices to Ott. “I have free range to do whatever I want,” she says. “I really enjoy being in color-filled spaces. The walls here were all white for almost a year, and it felt like something was missing. It’s a very small living room, so I don’t want to crowd it with too much stuff. A fun color on the walls helped fill the void. When I painted that teal, it gave an instant hug of color and made the space much better to hang out in. I painted it on a whim while my husband was at work, and when he came home that day I was a bit nervous he was going to hate it, but he actually really liked it. And yes, he could see the color.”
Ironically, Poldrack is colorblind and has trouble differentiating between purples, blues and greens, so he leaves the color choices to Ott. “I have free range to do whatever I want,” she says. “I really enjoy being in color-filled spaces. The walls here were all white for almost a year, and it felt like something was missing. It’s a very small living room, so I don’t want to crowd it with too much stuff. A fun color on the walls helped fill the void. When I painted that teal, it gave an instant hug of color and made the space much better to hang out in. I painted it on a whim while my husband was at work, and when he came home that day I was a bit nervous he was going to hate it, but he actually really liked it. And yes, he could see the color.”
Before: This view looks toward the front door. The master bedroom was through the door on the left, right on the noisy side of the street. The tight spiral staircase was the only way to reach the floor above.
After: The new floor plan is much more open. Ott replaced the area that contained the spiral staircase with a new powder room painted in Semolina by Benjamin Moore.
The Elvis bust was a wedding gift from a friend, given after Ott and Poldrack eloped in Las Vegas. “We had an Elvis-officiated wedding,” Ott says.
The Elvis bust was a wedding gift from a friend, given after Ott and Poldrack eloped in Las Vegas. “We had an Elvis-officiated wedding,” Ott says.
This shot of the stairs shows another fun paint color on the risers (close to Blue Spa by Benjamin Moore) and a peek above into the guest bathroom on the left and guest bedroom on the right.
Before: This photo shows what it was like standing at the top of the stairs. The ceiling clearance was less than 5 feet. “This is where I always hit my head,” Ott says.
After: Raising the roof provided much more headroom. Frosted acrylic panels bring in sunshine from windows in the master bedroom (upstairs) and office (downstairs) while providing privacy for the rooms. The “Devices of Wonder” banners on the stairwell walls are from Ott’s days working as an editor at the Getty museum. “These are the banners they install on streetlights to advertise exhibitions,” Ott says. “They give them away to employees after the shows close.”
Before: Here’s a look at the finished attic space that, due to its ceiling height, was mostly avoided.
After: The space is now the master bedroom and, shown here, the master bathroom. Ott used the same cabinets as she used for the kitchen, because kitchen cabinets are deeper than bathroom cabinets.
The backsplash is a painted color block that’s a close match to Spirit in the Sky by Benjamin Moore. The ceiling is painted in Thunderbird by Benjamin Moore, a color that helps bring the high angled ceiling down visually.
The flooring is dark gray 12-by-24-inch porcelain tiles. The countertop is soapstone.
Wall paint: White Wisp, Benjamin Moore
The backsplash is a painted color block that’s a close match to Spirit in the Sky by Benjamin Moore. The ceiling is painted in Thunderbird by Benjamin Moore, a color that helps bring the high angled ceiling down visually.
The flooring is dark gray 12-by-24-inch porcelain tiles. The countertop is soapstone.
Wall paint: White Wisp, Benjamin Moore
The master bedroom has a high ceiling, 15 feet at the highest point. The design behind the bed is a peel-and-stick mural that Ott bought on Houzz.
The barn doors are painted in Blue Spa by Benjamin Moore. The flooring is eucalyptus wood.
The barn doors are painted in Blue Spa by Benjamin Moore. The flooring is eucalyptus wood.
A custom color that closely matches Suntan Yellow by Benjamin Moore helps visually bring the guest room down to scale. “I don’t like when the walls and ceiling are the same color,” Ott says. “It’s too much of one thing. When you have different colors on different planes, your eye is able to move around the room, taking it all in, rather than being bombarded by a single strong hue.”
In the guest bathroom, the vibrant color continues with wide hexagonal tile from Heath Ceramics in the shower, a yellow-green ceiling paint (Hibiscus by Benjamin Moore) and a block of green behind the sink (Pear Green by Benjamin Moore).
Ott found the double sink on someone’s curb, new and still in the box, with a “free” sign on it. The flooring is medium gray 12-by-24 porcelain tiles.
Ott found the double sink on someone’s curb, new and still in the box, with a “free” sign on it. The flooring is medium gray 12-by-24 porcelain tiles.
Before: The previous backyard was defined by worn fake turf, a shed on the right and a pit of sorts to the right of the shed that didn’t drain, turning into a mosquito breeding ground after rain. “A friend described it as a ‘Neanderthal hot tub,’” Ott says. “I called it ‘the pit of despair.’ Regardless, it had to go.”
After: Poldrack rebuilt the shed during a sabbatical. He kept the footprint the same but reframed the structure, added a new roof and finished out the interior.
The shed is now powered and insulated. It serves as a place where Poldrack can practice giving speeches and play guitar, and where Ott can work when she wants a change of scenery from the home office. It also can serve as an overflow guest room or be converted to a bedroom in the future, just like the office off the kitchen. “The house is a two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath, but in a pinch could be four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms with a little work,” Ott says.
The new deck is a composite material, and the concrete pavers were poured in place and are surrounded by black river rocks.
The custom exterior paint color is a close match to Calamansi Green by Kelly-Moore Paints.
The shed is now powered and insulated. It serves as a place where Poldrack can practice giving speeches and play guitar, and where Ott can work when she wants a change of scenery from the home office. It also can serve as an overflow guest room or be converted to a bedroom in the future, just like the office off the kitchen. “The house is a two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath, but in a pinch could be four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms with a little work,” Ott says.
The new deck is a composite material, and the concrete pavers were poured in place and are surrounded by black river rocks.
The custom exterior paint color is a close match to Calamansi Green by Kelly-Moore Paints.
Before: This photo shows the previous rear exterior and, on the left, “the pit of despair.”
After: Extending the home upward and into the backyard added square footage. The bump-out seen here is where the kitchen sink sits.
Door and stair riser paint: Soft Spruce, Benjamin Moore; rear siding: HardiePlank Lap Siding in Iron Gray with smooth texture, James Hardie
Door and stair riser paint: Soft Spruce, Benjamin Moore; rear siding: HardiePlank Lap Siding in Iron Gray with smooth texture, James Hardie
Here, Ott and Poldrack share some champagne by their new fire pit after a long day.
This side-by-side comparison of the “before” floor plan (left) and “after” floor plan of the first floor shows how Ott bumped out the kitchen (top right in the “after” plan) and replaced the bathroom with an office (top left in the “after” plan). A powder room (bottom left in the “after” plan) replaced the spiral staircase (bottom left in the “before” plan).
This side-by-side comparison of the “before” floor plan (left) and “after” floor plan of the second floor shows how the structure was expanded to accommodate two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
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Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jennifer Ott, an interior designer, color consultant and frequent Houzz writer; Russell Poldrack, a professor of neuroscience at Stanford University; and their two cats
Location: Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco
Size: 1,800 square feet (167 square meters); two bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Designer: Jennifer Ott Design
Builder: Blair Burke General Contractors
Architect: Studio Sarah Willmer Architecture
Before: A previous owner had added the mostly plastic adornments to the low-end plywood siding, while shoddy restudding of some of the walls in the 1960s had left the integrity of the structure in question. But because the siding to the home wasn’t original, and significant modifications had been made after the home’s construction in 1890, Ott and Poldrack got the go-ahead to change the facade and basically tear down almost everything above the garage and rebuild. “That’s difficult to get in San Francisco,” Ott says.
Prior to the main renovation, she and Poldrack did a few minor things to the house to make it not so ugly. They ripped out all the carpet and put in floating bamboo flooring, removed three layers of vinyl flooring in the kitchen to reveal black ceramic tile and painted some things here and there in fun colors.
Then they moved in while they planned the remodel, spending three years living in the house during the planning, permitting and design phases. “Live in a house before you renovate, if you can,” Ott says. “It totally changes your ideas for the space. You see how the light flows in at different times of day and year. You discover which side is noisier because of the street, so maybe you don’t put the bedroom on that side.”
Pulling permits proved the most time-consuming aspect of the project. It took Ott a year and a half to obtain all the permits. “It was everything from historical research, local design district approval, neighbor approval, planning department design review, etc.,” she says. “There’s just a lot of hoops to jump through in San Francisco, and everything has to be done in a certain order.”
Because San Francisco is such a storied city, the historical research phase of the permitting process is to determine if, say, The Grateful Dead recorded an album in the home, or Jack Kerouac wrote portions of On the Road there, or if it’s an architecturally significant structure, such as something akin to one of the famous “Painted Ladies” houses.
“But we bought a rather unappealing house, and there was nothing architecturally or historically significant about it, which helped us get the approvals needed for major changes,” Ott says.
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