Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Renovation Engages a Home With Surrounding Woodlands
Architects modernize a midcentury house to embrace the landscape and make it family-friendly
This midcentury modern home in Lafayette, California, was beautifully nestled within the surrounding woodlands. But it was nestled too closely to two old oaks. One of them was growing through openings in the roofline, and both trees had heavy branches that extended precariously over the house. In this part of the country, this also made the house more vulnerable to wildfires. In addition, the small kitchen wasn’t very functional for the young family of five who lived here, and the 8-foot ceilings limited the potential for expansive views of the landscape.
The homeowners, a graphic designer and a kindergarten teacher, had a vision for a home that would better embrace the site and suit their family’s lifestyle. They hired the architects at ODS Architecture to give the home a refresh and expand its footprint for a larger kitchen and a new office. They enhanced the existing architecture by changing the roofline to accommodate higher ceilings and installed new windows and doors to provide expansive views. They also collaborated with landscape architect Joeseph Huettl to engage the house with new outdoor rooms.
The homeowners, a graphic designer and a kindergarten teacher, had a vision for a home that would better embrace the site and suit their family’s lifestyle. They hired the architects at ODS Architecture to give the home a refresh and expand its footprint for a larger kitchen and a new office. They enhanced the existing architecture by changing the roofline to accommodate higher ceilings and installed new windows and doors to provide expansive views. They also collaborated with landscape architect Joeseph Huettl to engage the house with new outdoor rooms.
After: The two dangerous oaks were removed for safety. The designers placed a small two-story addition in the corner past the garage door. On the main level they extended the kitchen into the area where the covered deck had been. On the lower level, they excavated an existing crawl space next to the addition to create a large home office, a full bathroom and a laundry room. The expansive new custom windows let in light and provide views of the woodlands.
Windows and doors: Fleetwood Windows & Doors
Find a local architect on Houzz
Windows and doors: Fleetwood Windows & Doors
Find a local architect on Houzz
This elevation shows how the house fits into the sloped site. This is the street-facing side of the house; the garage is on the right. The rendering also shows how the new roof on the right meets up with the existing roofline on the left. “Redoing the roof raised the ceiling height to 10 feet, which provided better views,” Ohashi says.
The house needed numerous repairs, including structural work, which meant replacing the existing siding. “And this house needed upgrading and refreshing to become more modern,” project architect Julia Arria says. Another problem was draftiness. New double-pane windows and doors, as well as spray foam insulation, provide a tighter envelope.
Stained vertical-grain, western red cedar siding on the bottom of the house and new wood and metal railings reinforce horizontality. The architects clad the main floor in a warm dark gray stucco. “With all the windows on the main floor we needed a solid element rather than siding,” Ohashi says. Lighter stucco appears under the roof overhangs and the chimney, providing contrast in the composition. “There’s actually a lot going on in this simple-looking facade,” Ohashi says.
The construction also provided an opportunity to design a more pleasing approach to the house. A staggered path of poured-in-place concrete pavers leads from the street to the front door.
Stained vertical-grain, western red cedar siding on the bottom of the house and new wood and metal railings reinforce horizontality. The architects clad the main floor in a warm dark gray stucco. “With all the windows on the main floor we needed a solid element rather than siding,” Ohashi says. Lighter stucco appears under the roof overhangs and the chimney, providing contrast in the composition. “There’s actually a lot going on in this simple-looking facade,” Ohashi says.
The construction also provided an opportunity to design a more pleasing approach to the house. A staggered path of poured-in-place concrete pavers leads from the street to the front door.
Removing the two trees opened up new possibilities for the entry sequence. A new exterior entry staircase is oriented toward the driveway, with the pavers easing the way.
The railings have metal frames with horizontal wood slats. “They blend in well with the horizontal tongue-and-groove siding,” Arria says.
Shop for outdoor lighting
The railings have metal frames with horizontal wood slats. “They blend in well with the horizontal tongue-and-groove siding,” Arria says.
Shop for outdoor lighting
Inside, the staircase from the main level down to the garage remains in the same place. But before, it had been closed in behind a door. “This was the darkest part of the house,” Ohashi says. They opened the staircase up, adding a peekaboo floor-to-ceiling interior window behind it and piercing the roofline with a skylight above it. This transformed the once-dark space into a light well. “Now it’s one of the brightest spots in the house,” Ohashi says.
The photo on the left was taken from the great room looking toward the dining room, and the front door is opposite the metal railing. The photo on the right shows the view from the dining room to the great room. The homeowners wanted a home bar to serve the dining room. And with young children around, the bottles can be locked up in the cabinetry for safety. The walnut and the quartz countertop match the finishes the architects used in the kitchen. The backsplash is antiqued mirror that reflects light.
The photo on the left was taken from the great room looking toward the dining room, and the front door is opposite the metal railing. The photo on the right shows the view from the dining room to the great room. The homeowners wanted a home bar to serve the dining room. And with young children around, the bottles can be locked up in the cabinetry for safety. The walnut and the quartz countertop match the finishes the architects used in the kitchen. The backsplash is antiqued mirror that reflects light.
Before: One of the biggest changes the homeowners wanted to make was enlarging the kitchen to accommodate their family. “The natural place to move it was in the corner, looking out to the trees. They have a lot of beautiful trees, including redwoods, out back,” Arria says.
After: The architects extended the home’s back corner and moved the kitchen into the space. “The husband is a graphic designer and they both like strong color and pattern,” Arria says. They loved the idea of using backsplash tiles from iconic local company Heath Ceramics. The vertical hexagonal pattern extends the eye up and emphasizes the new 10-foot ceiling height. The homeowners chose the copper-colored glass pendant lights over the island.
The architects used three finishes on the cabinets: dark gray on the lowers, white on the uppers and walnut for accents. “Because they have three young children, they wanted everything to be easy to clean and take care of,” Arria says. Durable finishes include Caesarstone quartz countertops and engineered white oak floors. They also wanted a large island so the kids could sit and keep them company while they cooked.
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
The architects used three finishes on the cabinets: dark gray on the lowers, white on the uppers and walnut for accents. “Because they have three young children, they wanted everything to be easy to clean and take care of,” Arria says. Durable finishes include Caesarstone quartz countertops and engineered white oak floors. They also wanted a large island so the kids could sit and keep them company while they cooked.
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
The kitchen flows into the great room, which has views of the beautifully landscaped yard.
“They were ideal clients for a great collaboration,” Arria says. “Usually we help our clients choose furniture, but not in this case. Our clients already had some of the furniture and purchased other pieces during the project, and it all looks great.”
“They were ideal clients for a great collaboration,” Arria says. “Usually we help our clients choose furniture, but not in this case. Our clients already had some of the furniture and purchased other pieces during the project, and it all looks great.”
Before: This photo shows the existing 8-foot ceilings and fireplace in the great room. The architects replaced the gas units and redesigned the surrounds of the home’s two fireplaces.
After: The homeowners chose an oval Heath Ceramics tile for the new fireplace surround. Installing it took meticulous work. “This tile is so 3D that it can’t be cut, so we had to design the surround around the size of the tiles,” Arria says. The black stone hearth extends beyond the fireplace to serve as a shelf and a bench.
Triple sliding glass doors open to a new deck. “The old deck had a triangulated shape. We wanted to design one that continued the room outside,” Arria says. This deck extends past the doors and has a large dining table. Its proximity to the kitchen makes it easy to serve meals alfresco.
Triple sliding glass doors open to a new deck. “The old deck had a triangulated shape. We wanted to design one that continued the room outside,” Arria says. This deck extends past the doors and has a large dining table. Its proximity to the kitchen makes it easy to serve meals alfresco.
New steps off the dining deck lead up to a more private patio located off the primary suite.
The other side of the kitchen is open to the dining room. The window behind the staircase and the walnut bar are on the left.
While the great room and kitchen are the kid-friendly zone, the dining and living rooms were designed with adults in mind. The expansive new windows lend a feeling of sitting among the trees.
Before: The existing living room had a much darker feel.
After: The new fireplace surround gives a graphic punch to the light-colored scheme. The tiles are from another local company, Fireclay Tile. A black steel ledge continues from the top of the fireplace tiles around the corner and runs along the adjacent wall. “We added a small lip to the ledge so that they can lean artwork here. They like to switch it up between their collection and the husband’s own work,” Ohashi says.
A beautiful smoky glass chandelier draws the eye and plays off the dark fireplace surround. A Saarinen Womb chair and other furnishings nod to the midcentury modern period.
A beautiful smoky glass chandelier draws the eye and plays off the dark fireplace surround. A Saarinen Womb chair and other furnishings nod to the midcentury modern period.
Part of the renovation included excavating space on the lower level to move the laundry room down there. This provided room for a larger primary suite. In the couple’s bedroom, a built-in window seat overlooks a private garden that the architects designed with the adults in mind.
The architects terraced a steep slope in the yard to provide space for the primary suite’s patio. Cor-Ten steel planters atop the retaining walls contain a vegetable garden.
In the primary bathroom, the left side of the mirror’s reflection shows the exterior door that leads to the private patio. “They plan to put a hot tub in out there, so it made sense to put this door in the bathroom,” Ohashi says. They’ll be able to go straight from the hot tub to the shower.
The architects repeated the walnut used elsewhere in the house on the cabinetry and in the walk-in closet.
The architects repeated the walnut used elsewhere in the house on the cabinetry and in the walk-in closet.
A skylight brings natural light into the shower. Sandblasted glass provides privacy for the toilet. Fireclay tile laid in a grid pattern adds contrast in the shower. The rectangles of the tile and the long niche emphasize horizontal lines.
In the kids’ bathroom, an 18-inch skylight slot angles light down over the double vanity. Because three kids would be sharing this bathroom, the architects recommended a trough sink with two faucets, and they separated the toilet and tub-shower area with a pocket door for privacy. The yellow Fireclay tile in the shower adds playful color to the space.
On the lower level, the addition and excavated crawl space contain a large new office that has direct access to the garden. While the homeowner has separate office space for his graphic design firm, he also wanted ample space to work from home. The space includes several different workstations so he can work here with colleagues or have the kids join him with their homework. The architects also planned the space to accommodate his requests for flat file space, lots of shelving for books and a sofa.
The architects also designed a full bathroom for the lower level. This makes the space flexible should the couple decide to use the office as another bedroom or in-law suite in the future.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
The architects also designed a full bathroom for the lower level. This makes the space flexible should the couple decide to use the office as another bedroom or in-law suite in the future.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
“These clients love to entertain, so we wanted to create three to four different outdoor areas for them to do so,” Arria says. “There were a lot of levels and areas to reconcile — we also designed terraces and steps in between, as well as a staircase with railings down to the garden outside the new office. We had a big hand in designing the outdoor spaces and then landscape architect Joseph Huettl brought in his expertise with regard to colors, materials and plantings.” The fire pit area is a natural stone patio with curved concrete walls. The private adult patio is located off the back right corner of the house.
Find a local landscape designer
Find a local landscape designer
On this plan, the bedrooms are on the left and the public spaces are on the right. The kitchen and adjacent great room are in the top right corner. The staircase to the new office is below those two rooms.
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A graphic designer, a kindergarten teacher and their three young children
Location: Lafayette, California
Size: 3,847 square feet (357 square meters)
Designers: Alan Ohashi, Julia Arria and Philip Liang of ODS Architecture (architecture and landscape architecture); Joseph Huettl of Huettl Landscape Architecture (landscape architecture)
Before: One of the two oaks can be seen here in front of the chimney. The corner of the home past the garage had an existing deck. The public areas, including the kitchen, dining room, living room and great room, are located on the right side of the house, and the bedrooms are on the left. These two areas had rooflines at different levels. “Two of the main goals were to increase the ceiling height and to make the kitchen a better place for their family,” principal architect Alan Ohashi says.