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Houzz Tour: A Little Cottage Grows Up
Warm San Francisco Remodel Celebrates Past and Present
This elegant modern home started as a 2-bedroom cottage built on this same footprint sometime around 1900. Outside, it is the picture of beautifully balanced modern forms. Inside, the soul of the original home lives on in a warm mix of old and new.
San Francisco architect Cary Bernstein met the house in 2003 when the owner hired her to do an interior renovation to clean up some structural issues and “funkiness” that had accumulated over the decades (scroll to the end for a "before" shot). A few years later the client had married, started a family and needed more house. They built up instead of out to preserve the wooded garden and feeling of a private oasis. The result, finished in 2010, celebrates modern design while keeping some of the ad-hoc character they liked about the old place.
San Francisco architect Cary Bernstein met the house in 2003 when the owner hired her to do an interior renovation to clean up some structural issues and “funkiness” that had accumulated over the decades (scroll to the end for a "before" shot). A few years later the client had married, started a family and needed more house. They built up instead of out to preserve the wooded garden and feeling of a private oasis. The result, finished in 2010, celebrates modern design while keeping some of the ad-hoc character they liked about the old place.
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| The entry level and a basement floor below are original to the house. The top floor is the addition.
Bernstein replaced the original cottage’s dark shingles with cedar in a light stain. Tall windows with skinny aluminum frames bring modern into the design — not to mention maximum light from this west-facing wall. The wide window on the upper right gives the master bathroom both light and privacy. The overall play of horizontals and verticals have a graphic dimension, right down to the zigzag of the stairs framed by the entry window. |
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| A plum tree shades the front gravel courtyard, featuring a swoopy ipé bench a landscape designer built as part of an earlier renovation. |
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| Bernstein removed some walls to open up the interior but didn't try to make it fit expected floorplans. These are the original wall and ceiling panels, brightened up with a coat of Benjamin Moore "White Dove."
Note the spare use of ceiling lights. "The more projects I do over time, the fewer lights I put in the ceiling," Bernstein says. "We use lights to light something — a piece of art, a table." The stairs leading up have no risers, to let in more natural light. The floor is reclaimed oak siding from an 1870s Michigan barn. |
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Stairs lead down to family room, bedrooms and laundry closet. The upper level contains the master bedroom and bath, dressing area and study.
The bannister rails borrow a traditional look with their spindle shapes, but the way the thin metal lines stick straight into the floor is all modern.
The bannister rails borrow a traditional look with their spindle shapes, but the way the thin metal lines stick straight into the floor is all modern.
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| The home's calm colors and much of the furniture goes back to Bernstein's earlier 2003 renovation. She gave the owner's mid-century sofas a new look with new upholstery and pillows and resized the wool sisal rug to pull the room together. |
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| This mahogany table came from the owner's family. California artist Wayne Thiebaud is a favorite. |
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| You can really see the effect of Bernstein's wall-opening campaign here. Where once a wall separated the dining room and kitchen, Bernstein added a bar counter; its raised Virginia granite backsplash serves as ample room divider. A narrow walnut butcher-block island adds work and storage space.
Bernstein used soffits and storage to build balance and scale into the room. The tall cabinets to the right of the bar create the effect of a column. |
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| Here's a view out toward the front, through those tall skinny windows. Kids can enter the house through the left, hang coats on hooks, and toss their shoes into cubbies under the window seat.
Cork wallpaper in the kitchen holds family notes, and the green jar on the upper shelf hides a charging station. |
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| Eames fabric on the seat cushions picks up the color of the plum tree outside. The detached garage outside may be renovated one day, too. |
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| Bernstein kept many of the original openings on the east side of the house. The deck off the master bedroom offers a view over the Bay Bridge. An off-black painted steel trellis adds a bit of shade and design interest. |
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Bluestone pavers meet pea gravel as home meets garden.
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A deck wraps around the east and south sides of the home. The fireplace in the living room is behind this galvanized standing-seam siding.
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Remember that original white wood paneling inside? Its wabi-sabi beauty inspired Bernstein to combine three board sizes to create this pattern on the exterior walls.
Frosted glass panels in the trellis over the door let in light and keep out the San Francisco drizzle.
Frosted glass panels in the trellis over the door let in light and keep out the San Francisco drizzle.
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Another trellis connects the home to a garden shed and strengthens the structures against any seismic shifting that might happen underground.
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| The house and garden before the remodel.
See more of Cary Bernstein's work. More remodeling projects: A Design in Harmony with the Land A Modern Renovation in Seattle See More Homes |
Comments
Becky Harris Wow, the white with all of that warm wood is just breathtakingly calm. I felt relaxed just scrolling through the pictures.
2 years ago · Like
Willow Murphree My favorite picture is of the plum tree and front courtyard... I could live out there. The house itself is a study in quietness, and I love all the warm wood, but I'm not a huge fan of all to mostly all white backgrounds. I know the belief is that a white background is a naked canvas, that it recedes into being a mere backdrop, but I find white rooms to be the dominate element to the room which for me works more as a minus than a plus.
2 years ago · Like
Amanda I love all the light , but no windows converings? Good thing its secluded
2 years ago · Like
Donna Comstock love,love,love
2 years ago · Like
Diane Henkler What a calm and serene environment. I love all the light and simplicity. I am going to keep this one in my "someday file".
2 years ago · Like
Rough Linen This feels like a real house for real living - I could feel easy in so many of these rooms, and love the openness, calm and light. Curtains would detract.
2 years ago · Like
aminathreena beautiful
2 years ago · Like
shwang We've been fortunate to spend many joyful moments in this home. Whether a cozy coffee snuggled on that banquette, cocktails on the terrace overlooking the twinkling city lights, a holiday dinner for 12 in the beautifully laid out kitchen, or family playdates with kids sliding on the bench under the plum tree, the home just sings. The architect gave voice to the family's warm, playful lifestyle and the cottage's rustic roots. Just perfect.
2 years ago · Like
Sharon Chapman Really love what they have done. Every room is very well planned out. Lovely and restful.
2 years ago · Like
Louise Rea Does anyone actually live here, or did they just tidy up for the photo shoot!! Lovely but far to perfect for my style of living!!
2 years ago · Like
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sadie1jane Love it!
2 years ago · Like
redwall Beautiful and serene... I love the way the outdoors is brought in thru the windows left alone. A keeper !
2 years ago · Like
Julie Malchow Zeman White dove is a great choice. It is such a nice white.
2 years ago · Like
georgetownsandi I used to think white walls were too boring, but this home changed my mind. What a peaceful oasis - gorgeous!
2 years ago · Like
uttara and adwait deeee light fulll...immense effort needed to make design look clean and efficient. amply seen in this post. thank you, ms. sheila.
2 years ago · Like
Ginger I love the gardens but the interio looks too sterile to me. Peaceful like a hospital.
2 years ago · Like
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aliciam I bought a small bungalow last fall. The previous owner painted all the walls in 3 very dreary shades of tan that I am considering replacing. I am going to try the Benjamin Moore "White Dove" that is featured here in some of my rooms. I have dark wood furniture, and I think the white walls will make the space look bigger. Really like the dining table and benches shown here, as I have an almost identical table w/ 2 benches that I inherited.
2 years ago · Like
route53 Is this on Portola St. in San Francisco? Looks familiar. Who is the architect?
2 years ago · Like
goldinewang Just love this place. Where is it and is it for sale?
2 years ago · Like
Lily Gahagan The architect is Cary Bernstein: http://www.houzz.com/photos/professionals/79/Cary-Bernstein-Architect
2 years ago · Like
Lily Gahagan @goldinewang: the house is located in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood. It's not currently for sale.
2 years ago · Like
Ideabook updated on March 5, 2011.
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