Houzz Tour: An Eichler Remodel Spawns a Design Career
A homeowner finds her true calling upon redesigning her family's entire California home
Mitchell Parker
December 5, 2013
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
Sometimes you don’t know what you want until it’s right in front of your face. Pamela Lin and her husband, Erwin Tam, had set out looking for a run-of-the-mill, contemporary cookie cutter home with two stories that they could move into without much renovating. But none of the dozens of homes they toured wowed them. Until they walked inside a home designed by well-known California developer Joseph Eichler.
Seeing the open-sky atrium surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows and the open floor plan, Lin and Tam’s style compass completely shifted. Turned out, they weren’t lovers of contemporary style at all; they were midcentury modernists at heart. “Right away we knew this home was for us,” Lin says.
Another thing they soon discovered: Lin is a natural designer. A full-time project manager for Google at the time, she reached out to a few professionals, but her tastes were so particular that she just decided to design the whole house herself, reimagining the kitchen and bathrooms and choosing furnishings, materials and paint colors. Two of her fellow Googlers saw the end result and each hired her to do their homes. Then a neighbor’s friend saw the house, knocked on her door and hired her. After that a different neighbor procured her services as well.
With such demand, Lin decided to start her own interior design company, Urbanism Designs.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Pamela Lin, Erwin Tam and their daughters, Eniko (8 months) and Eliana (4)
Location: Sunnyvale, California
Size: 1,890 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Seeing the open-sky atrium surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows and the open floor plan, Lin and Tam’s style compass completely shifted. Turned out, they weren’t lovers of contemporary style at all; they were midcentury modernists at heart. “Right away we knew this home was for us,” Lin says.
Another thing they soon discovered: Lin is a natural designer. A full-time project manager for Google at the time, she reached out to a few professionals, but her tastes were so particular that she just decided to design the whole house herself, reimagining the kitchen and bathrooms and choosing furnishings, materials and paint colors. Two of her fellow Googlers saw the end result and each hired her to do their homes. Then a neighbor’s friend saw the house, knocked on her door and hired her. After that a different neighbor procured her services as well.
With such demand, Lin decided to start her own interior design company, Urbanism Designs.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Pamela Lin, Erwin Tam and their daughters, Eniko (8 months) and Eliana (4)
Location: Sunnyvale, California
Size: 1,890 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Lin researched Eichler homes because she wanted to preserve the Eichler feel but modernize it slightly. Previous owners had already altered a few features — they had removed some original interior wood paneling and painted the ceiling, for example — but she tried to keep the structure as original as possible. “We tried to preserve as much as we could and just modernize things without losing the structure and bones,” Lin says.
The exterior form is virtually unchanged apart from new paint. Lin also added frosted glass to the front door sidelight, changed the side fence to ipe wood and added landscaping steps and concrete planter boxes, which she designed based on a photo she saw on Houzz.
Exterior paint: Dolphin; door paint: Pumpkin Cream, both by Benjamin Moore
The exterior form is virtually unchanged apart from new paint. Lin also added frosted glass to the front door sidelight, changed the side fence to ipe wood and added landscaping steps and concrete planter boxes, which she designed based on a photo she saw on Houzz.
Exterior paint: Dolphin; door paint: Pumpkin Cream, both by Benjamin Moore
The front door opens to this atrium, which originally wooed Lin and Tam into buying the house. In their research they saw that many people opted to cover Eichler atriums to add more interior square footage, but they chose to preserve it.
Lin believes a wood wall originally separated the interior and exterior and that a previous homeowner changed it to frosted glass.
Lin believes a wood wall originally separated the interior and exterior and that a previous homeowner changed it to frosted glass.
AFTER: Lin took the connectivity a step further by adding clear, double-pane glass. She also replaced the concrete with an ipe wood deck and a fire pit. Mexican pebbles keep other areas clean looking and low maintenance. “We wanted to make it a place where you’d want to hang out as a family,” Lin says.
Cube: Frank Gehry; glass doors: Palo Alto Glass
Cube: Frank Gehry; glass doors: Palo Alto Glass
The atrium leads to the kitchen, where Lin removed a partial wall that had blocked views inside. With that and the frosted glass removed, this outdoor space has become a focal point.
Previous owners had painted the ceiling white. “I would have loved to have the original wood color,” Lin says. They had also added generic veneer wood cabinets and a Spanish terra-cotta tile floor.
AFTER: Lin changed everything but the range and range hood. “Probably the only two things we kept in the house,” she says. She added bamboo cabinets, a green glass backsplash and Caesarstone counters. She also removed two posts to extend the length of the island and repainted the ceiling.
Despite her nascent venture into design, she says she had a strong first run. “I didn’t return anything; I just based everything off feel,” she says. “Maybe that’s why people are telling me I should do this. It just felt natural to me. Everything in the house is just what we picked. There was no trial and error.”
She originally wanted poured concrete floors, but found textured tiles with a nonslip surface for her two small girls; they helped her stay within her budget and still provide a modern gray tone.
Bar stools: Lucy Counter Stool, Bend Seating; microwave, oven, range: Viking; ceiling paint: Frostine, Benjamin Moore
Despite her nascent venture into design, she says she had a strong first run. “I didn’t return anything; I just based everything off feel,” she says. “Maybe that’s why people are telling me I should do this. It just felt natural to me. Everything in the house is just what we picked. There was no trial and error.”
She originally wanted poured concrete floors, but found textured tiles with a nonslip surface for her two small girls; they helped her stay within her budget and still provide a modern gray tone.
Bar stools: Lucy Counter Stool, Bend Seating; microwave, oven, range: Viking; ceiling paint: Frostine, Benjamin Moore
The Spanish tile spanned the entire layout, including this living room behind the kitchen. Previous owners had painted over the fireplace. Lin and Tam were concerned about the hearth being a tripping hazard for their girls.
AFTER: They removed the hearth and used wavy tiles to give the fireplace a more modern look. They also continued the gray floor tiles here.
Lin got color, layout and furnishing ideas from Houzz, and also used the site to research Eichler and other midcentury modern designs for inspiration. “Scrolling through photos gave me ideas on how I should do certain things,” she says.
She wanted this to be a family-centric room, so she opted to exclude a television. Instead, they enjoy spending time playing piano together.
Fireplace tiles: Porcelanosa; sofa: Room & Board; credenza, coffee table: custom, Eastvold; rug: Thomas Paul; wall paint: Paper Mache, Benjamin Moore
Lin got color, layout and furnishing ideas from Houzz, and also used the site to research Eichler and other midcentury modern designs for inspiration. “Scrolling through photos gave me ideas on how I should do certain things,” she says.
She wanted this to be a family-centric room, so she opted to exclude a television. Instead, they enjoy spending time playing piano together.
Fireplace tiles: Porcelanosa; sofa: Room & Board; credenza, coffee table: custom, Eastvold; rug: Thomas Paul; wall paint: Paper Mache, Benjamin Moore
Previous owners had designated the space connected to the kitchen as a dining room, but Lin felt like it was way too much space. She turned the area into a TV room and transformed a spare bedroom off the main living room into a formal dining room.
Sofa: Room & Board; rug: Betty, Angela Adams; chandelier: Tech Lighting Staccato
Sofa: Room & Board; rug: Betty, Angela Adams; chandelier: Tech Lighting Staccato
The family calls the corner light from Flos the “Darth Vader light.” The Saarinen Tulip side table is original.
The Saarinen table and chairs in the dining room are all original. The other chairs are Eames originals, as is the George Nelson Crisscross Bubble Lamp. “If I’m going to buy iconic designs, I want them to be original,” Lin says. “I have to give them credit.”
A small wall originally separated the vanity and toilet in the main bathroom.
AFTER: Lin knocked that wall down, extended the vanity and raised the counter height. She also extended the mirrors to the ceiling to add more visual height.
She doubled the size of the shower by pushing into the closet space.
Tile: Porcelanosa
She doubled the size of the shower by pushing into the closet space.
Tile: Porcelanosa
The main bedroom was in decent enough shape, but Lin wanted to modernize it.
AFTER: She added bamboo floors for a warm departure from the gray tile in the rest of the house.
Bed: Room & Board; dresser: Eastvold; light: Moooi
Bed: Room & Board; dresser: Eastvold; light: Moooi
The bamboo floor continues into all the bedrooms, including 8-month-old daughter Eniko’s room.
Rug: Thomas Paul; crib, dresser: Room & Board; decals: The Land of Nod
Rug: Thomas Paul; crib, dresser: Room & Board; decals: The Land of Nod
In both Eniko’s and 4-year-old Eliana’s room, Lin commissioned paintings from artists she found online. “I like to support artists who are trying to make it,” she says.
Bed: Room & Board; rug: Thomas Paul; dresser: Nurseryworks
Bed: Room & Board; rug: Thomas Paul; dresser: Nurseryworks
A bonus room became the kids’ playroom.
Sofa: Bay Sleeper, Design Within Reach; bookshelves: Room & Board; wall paint: Pumpkin Cream, Benjamin Moore
Sofa: Bay Sleeper, Design Within Reach; bookshelves: Room & Board; wall paint: Pumpkin Cream, Benjamin Moore
Lin wanted to keep the open layout of the backyard but update it a bit.
AFTER: She removed some bushes, added an ipe wood deck at the far end of the pool and had new concrete poured right on top of the old layer. “It was cheaper than knocking out the old stuff,” she says.
She also added Mexican pebbles and replaced the lawn with artificial turf.
Table: Knoll; chairs: Panton
She also added Mexican pebbles and replaced the lawn with artificial turf.
Table: Knoll; chairs: Panton
We at Frasure Home Improvements feel like everyone deserves our best. We constantly push for excellence. We truly... Read More
What are you working on?
Related Products
We specialize in custom cabinetry, but we also do interior trim & millwork. The quality of our work, the look of... Read More
Related Stories
Exteriors
Before and After: Exterior Gets a Thoroughly Modern Makeover
By Becky Harris
An architect preserves a ranch house’s midcentury bones while giving its facade an eye-catching refresh
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Midcentury Home Reimagined From the Ground Up
By Becky Harris
An architect creates an easy indoor-outdoor flow with a major remodel, a primary suite addition and a new site plan
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Faded Midcentury Home Regains Its Glamour
A 1960s gem sparkles with mint St. Charles cabinets, zesty citrus wallpaper and a chic gold-and-black powder room
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Opening Up a Midcentury Modern Time Capsule
A 1957 home gets a sensitive update that lets in the light and honors its awesome retro style — pink bathroom and all
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Midcentury Modern Home Revived, Roots Intact
Architects found on Houzz breathe new life into a family’s San Francisco-area Eichler home
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Designers Reinvent a Midcentury Home
By Julie Sheer
A husband-and-wife contractor and designer team preserve historic features of a neglected San Antonio, Texas, house
Full Story
Vacation Homes
Houzz Tour: An Architect and a Designer at Home at The Sea Ranch
On California’s Sonoma Coast, a designing duo create a stylish getaway in a famed planned community of modernist homes
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Ranch House Gets a Bright Midcentury Modern Remodel
By Becky Harris
An architect opens up a 1950s home in Northern California to suit a family’s lifestyle
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Midcentury Case Study Houses Inspire a Desert Home’s Design
By Becky Harris
An architect blurs the lines between a new home and the vast Arizona landscape around it
Full Story
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Glass, Timbers and Angles Shape Restored Wedge House
A midcentury modern home gets new life with a remodel and an addition that bridge old and new
Full Story
I love this Eichler remodel, and the interior decorator should make this a career, because they are spot on, and have a very good eye, and taste for high end modern furniture and design.
@L.B. - Thank you for your nice comment! I actually did make a career switch and this is what I do now and I'm loving it. Visit my profile at http://www.houzz.com/pro/urbanismdesigns/__public. Happy Thanksgiving!
love it!