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Houzz Tour: Hillside Ranch House Plays Up Its Views

A modern update highlights a midcentury home’s stellar views of San Francisco Bay and creates a new master suite

Julie Sheer August 11, 2017

Houzz Contributor; journalist with more than two decades of experience as a graphics editor and writer at the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune; outdoor guidebook author; lover of all things outdoors, nature and wildlife. Follow me at https://westcentric.wordpress.com/

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It took a few years and some reconfiguring, but Cathy Lo and her family finally got the house they wanted. When they bought the 1954 ranch home in Kensington, an unincorporated community in Northern California’s Berkeley Hills, she was 8½ months pregnant with her second child. “When we first saw the house, we walked straight out to the deck to admire the view,” Lo says. “I told my husband right then and there, ‘This is the house.’ He said, ‘Do you want to see the rest of the house?’ I said, ‘Doesn’t matter. We can do whatever to the house, but this view…’ ”

They did a light remodel before moving in, redoing the kitchen and replacing the roof and windows. A few years later, they brought in Alan Ohashi and his team at ODS Architecture for the second phase of the remodel, which took about 1½ years. The home is now a standout and will be featured on an East Bay AIA home tour.

ODS Architecture

Photos by Paul Dyer Photography

House at a Glance
Who lives here: Catherine Lo, her husband and their two children, ages 8 and 6
Location: Kensington, California
Size: 2,869 square feet (267 square meters); four bedrooms, three bathrooms
Architect: ODS Architecture

Not wanting to block neighbors’ views, the architects kept nearly the original footprint by excavating into the hill to create a new master suite, adding only 360 square feet. “Our whole plan was to not take it out of character and keep it a ranch-style home in its overall expression, but to improve it in a way that complements the ranch-style aesthetic,” says Philip Liang, ODS design director.

The home’s curb appeal now offers stunning views of San Francisco Bay. The exterior was modernized with cedar and stucco siding, a standout orange door and new standing-seam metal roof, along with a new custom cedar garage door. A new concrete driveway and steps add to the cool factor. A handrail was added for ease of walking the steep path to the house.

Before Photo

Houzz Tour: Ranch-style Home in Berkeley Hills gets Modern Updates

Before: A steep driveway with broken concrete was the only way to get to the front entrance. The bottom of the clients’ car was scraping on the driveway, so they challenged the architects with configuring the curvature to protect the car and make it easier to walk up to the house.

ODS Architecture

The front yard features new drought-tolerant plants and artificial grass, where the family’s children play.

Before Photo

Before: Going from the garage into the house required stepping down from a small door and walking outside. Removing the brick “cleaned up the look of the house,” Liang says.

ODS Architecture

The architects “solved a lot of problems” with a new 8-by-10-foot flat-roofed “pop-up” entry, says Liang, adding to the curb appeal and visually clarifying the home’s entrance.

Lighting: Interlace suspension light by LBL Lighting; bench: CB2

ODS Architecture

An Eames chair, a live-edge coffee table and abstract art from a local painter give the living room a modern vibe. The coffee table was custom made by a local carpenter using a slab of American walnut with a strip of glass through the center. It sits on plexiglass legs, which gives it the appearance of floating.

“We like midcentury design but don’t like everything to look retro, so we mix vintage with modern pieces,” says Lo, who did the interior design herself. A former real estate broker, she’s now studying interior design.

ODS Architecture

The corner fireplace improves the circulation between the kitchen, dining and living areas, says Liang. “We wanted a transition between the spaces, and the fireplace continues that transition from one space to the next.” The area was opened up, and the top of the fireplace now lines up with the top of the stairway railing and new walnut storage unit.

Before Photo

Before: An old wood-burning fireplace was built into a brick wall that separated the kitchen from the dining room, with an enclosed stairway on the other side.

ODS Architecture

The original 8-foot ceilings were opened up and reinforced with structural wood beams during the first phase of the remodel, resulting in vaulted ceilings up to 12 feet high. A skylight above the stairs was originally a fireplace flue to the roof. Installing the skylight brought light to the formerly dark stairway.

ODS Architecture

A wall between the dining room and kitchen was removed in phase one of the remodel, to open up the kitchen to the amazing bay view. The inspiration for the kitchen’s design started with the Heath Dimensional tile used for the backsplash, says Lo.

They installed bamboo cabinets and white Caesarstone countertops to complement the tile. “We liked the clean three-dimensional design, which is both modern and tactile,” she says. The large island is the center for many meals with family and friends. But the best part of the kitchen, says Lo, is the Miele built-in coffeemaker, “which has more than paid for itself with all the money we save not buying fancy coffee at a cafe.”

Stove, hood, oven and refrigerator: Thermador; cabinets: Caramelized Bamboo by Bellmont Cabinet

ODS Architecture

Bay views take center stage through large sliding glass doors from Fleetwood. The homeowners got the unique dining table from Propeller in San Francisco. Joined wood slats in the middle allow the table to lengthen without using a leaf. The dining chairs are midcentury Norwegian that were bought on eBay.

Dining table: Xpand in walnut; lighting: Pod Collection from Niche Modern; browse dining room furniture

ODS Architecture

The team at ODS Architecture opened up the views with a frameless glass railing. They also installed new cedar decking.

Table: Room & Board; chairs: Ikea

Before: Wood framing, walls and bench blocked some of the bay views, and the old decking was worn.

ODS Architecture

The remodeled guest bath has new tile and quarter-sawn white oak custom cabinetry.

Sink and counter: Krion; faucet: Waterworks; backsplash: Heath Ceramics sage field tile; floor and shower tile: Natures Stone, Surface Art

ODS Architecture

Neutral tones, a floating vanity with integrated sinks and a freestanding vessel tub make for clean and serene design in the master bath.

Tub and filler: Badeloft; tile: floor, Daltile Exhibition; textured wall tile: Nara Beige, Porcelanosa; sink and counter: Snow White, Krion; faucets: Sento, Graff; cabinets: walnut veneer by Benicia Cabinetry; find more bathroom products

ODS Architecture

They carved out space for the master suite by removing what was once a family room and excavating into the hill. A sunken hot tub on the deck is surrounded by the tops of trees, for a private, serene setting.

Architect Alan Ohashi designed the built-in headboard with storage behind the bed. Of all the home’s spaces, Lo says they especially enjoy the master. “It is our sanctuary and retreat after putting the kids to bed. We wanted it to feel like a hotel, and it does to us, but now we don’t enjoy staying in hotels as much and prefer being at home.”

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