After a decade in their Menlo Park home, a growing family sought a more functionally modern home but was committed to staying in their beloved neighborhood. DDB reimagined the home from the ground up while honoring the existing site and scale of the 1950s neighborhood. Capturing the family’s imaginative spirit, the design challenged conventional practices with architect-led design-build processes.

The home’s layout is organized around a two-bar scheme that divides active and private zones. A central hallway is the connective tissue for each space. Its corners are shaped into intimate alcoves for stargazing. One of the home’s defining architectural features is a cast-in-place concrete wall that runs the length of the home, providing both structure and a visual anchor. The floating staircase, cantilevered from the wall, adds a sculptural element to the core of the house. Shaped by lasting materials, spatial intention, and meaningful connections Lightwell House is an enduring home that responds to the evolving rhythms of a Bay Area family’s daily lives.