Jennifer Weiss Architecture

Cole Valley House

“Bought that run-down old house? Time for an extreme makeover”

-The Wall Street Journal

Featured in the Wall Street Journal and Dwell Magazine. Without changing the footprint, the architecture of this house, previously the client’s childhood home, was completely re-conceived: the floor plan and spatial relationships were re-designed to be more aligned with how the clients live, use and enjoy a home, and interact with family and friends. The challenge: to make the house look, feel and LIVE more modern, and more aligned with the clients’ aesthetic and family-focused way of life, within a modest scope.  This careful remodel transformed the house strategically.  The changes to the roofline, windows and floor plan result in a dramatically different home – stylistically and experientially.

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Berggruen Gallery: Hawthorne Street

This adaptive re-use project converted a 10,000 square-foot brick historic warehouse building, previously housing a dark nightclub, into a light-filled, museum quality art gallery in the heart of downtown San Francisco. The architecture is intentionally deferential to the artwork, and to the viewing of art.

Sight-lines were rigorously studied, affording visitors powerful connections: with the art, the gallery team, other visitors, and even the city beyond. Multiple scales of space created a variety of art viewing experiences.

The gallery consists of exhibition space, showrooms, and offices distributed over three stories, as well as a grand central staircase made of wood and glass; the lower-level staircase transitions with triple dimension allowing for overflow seating as part of the digital and artist presentation space.

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House For an Architect

This extensive remodel of and addition to an existing mid century house in Sausalito surgically removed problematic and unsightly elements, while maintaining the critical lines and concepts of the original architecture.  The design also transforms the experience:  the new house responds to its site formally, and experientially by unveiling previously hidden dramatic Bay and Mountain views.  The project created an accessible and affordable Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), the first ADU to take advantage of the City’s new zoning allowances – spearheaded by our client, a partner at one of the top commercial architecture firms in the world, who is a champion for accessibility and affordable housing for all, and in all neighborhoods.  All of this with only 765 sf added, only 85 sf of which was on the main level.

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St. Helena Pool & Pool House

“The Pool…goes right into my ‘dream file’.”

-Dominique Browning, The New York Times

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Wurster House

“Weiss’ work is entirely in keeping with one of Wurster’s great declarations: ‘Architecture is for life and pleasure…and for people.’”

-Dwell Magazine

This remodel of and addition to a 1951 William Wurster designed bungalow modernized the kitchen, and increased connections  – visual, physical, psychological – through the house, toward the City and Bay views, and to the existing garden courtyard. All within the guidelines and inspiration set forth by Wurster himself. The kitchen was enlarged by capturing unused outdoor utility space.  Previously dark and isolated, the kitchen is now connected to the main living spaces and to the central courtyard and garden. A mudroom, a family entrance closer to the garage, and a garden-view desk space were also added.  The addition relates to the existing house: redwood accents refer to the interior redwood paneling, circular skylights were inspired by a circular motif found in the existing eaves, and new connections to adjacent spaces (indoor and outdoor) recall key relationships that make the original house sing.  The addition is also intentionally recognizable as new and current – in deference to the original structure, and to provide a more luminous kitchen that the clients desired.

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Coxhead House Garden

“…elegant, unobtrusive, and sculptural. All structural elements work seamlessly and blend well—providing both contrast and connection…so that together they form a unified, tranquil, and interesting space.”

– Deborah Needleman, Editor in Chief, T: The New York Times Style Magazine

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Moraga Indoor Outdoor House

This extensive remodel transformed an existing awkward, dark, ranch house into a modern, light and view filled space for a family of five – without changing the footprint.

The plan was rationalized: the plan was made efficient; the kitchen was almost tripled in size; a new entryway was created by modifying a hallway;  relocating the laundry area made room for a new office, created privacy for the powder room, and allowed for a much needed storage wall for the children. Exterior windows and doors were replaced with wider, taller, stained wood openings.

Phase II will include work to the exterior architecture of the house.

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Alta Plaza Residence

“A dark, inward-looking abode gains several rooms with a view”

-Deborah Bishop, contributing design editor to Dwell & SF Chronicle

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Pacific Heights Kitchen & Bar

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