In wooded Portola Valley, California, just south of San Francisco, architect Malcolm Davis resuscitated a dysfunctional 1960s house, whose original design had long been lost to a series of unfortunate remodels. It was also too small for the clients, a young couple just starting a family.
Photography by Joe Fletcher, courtesy of Malcolm Davis Architect.
Davis a member of the Remodelista Architect Designer Directory retained the structure s good qualities including a nice midcentury modern pitched roof shape and beautiful exposed beam...
...ceilings Capitalizing on the hillside site he dropped the ground level about six feet to give generously tall ceilings to a new family room and guest suite
The kitchen island is faced in reclaimed Douglas fir with white granite countertops.
The stove backsplash is dual-glazed white tile from Heath.
The view from the kitchen over the living room toward the dining room.
Davis is especially taken with the dining room, which offers the best views through its new wraparound balcony.
“The homeowners can dine inside a glass box, a shuttered pavilion, or a screened-in porch.”
When the shutters are drawn, said Davis, the room looks “almost like a lantern. On a hot day, it creates this beautiful filtered light.”
Directly beneath the dining room is a small study with windows on three sides, each with automatic translucent shades to keep the hot valley sun at bay.
The furniture was chosen by interior designer Lori Yeomans.
The view from the master bedroom.
The master bathroom has a slate tile floor and white ceramic tile from Fireclay in the shower surround.
A private garden just outside the master bathroom is for the couple to enjoy just for themselves.
In a separate guest wing adjacent to the pool: an art studio for one of the homeowners, who was trained in graphic design.
The ground-floor guest bedroom. Interior walls are painted in Chantilly Lace from Benjamin Moore.
A full-height window in the shower gives guests the feeling of bathing in the tree canopy.
An open-air “lanai” on the ground floor opens onto the outdoor dining patio and pool and serves as indoor/outdoor lounge space for entertaining or as an informal living room when guests are in town.
The property feels secluded in the valley; the closest neighboring house is 500 feet away.