Houzz Tours
Modern Architecture
Houzz Tour: Openness Rules in a Warm, Modern Home
Airy and low maintenance, this home is designed to look great throughout fundraising events, kids' get-togethers and everyday family life
Architect Wencke Solfjeld received a clear directive from her client, Jody Brettkelly: no formal dining room — or formal anything — in the house, please. "They wanted every single part of the house to be used daily, so we did away with formal spaces entirely," Solfjeld says. The modern home is nestled in an Oakland, California, neighborhood filled with faux Tudors and colonials. Its eclectic, colorful spirit has a laid-back "Come over for a barbie" appeal — fitting for a home in which one of the owners hails from New Zealand.
Brettkelly, a blogger, mom of four and proud Kiwi, grew up in a New Zealand surf town where kids, dogs and surfboards naturally brought sand and sea into the home. "Our house had huge windows where you could sit and gaze out to sea all day long. I longed for that kind of home for my family here in the States and really wanted a place where I could invite friends over at the drop of a hat," she says. "And I think Wencke and Russ [Dotter, the coarchitect] just did a tremendous job of interpreting our need for this kind of openness in every single part of the house."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jody and Kevin Brettkelly and their 4 kids
Location: Oakland, California
Size: 3,847 square feet
Design challenge: Convert the maze of little, dark rooms that made up the house into an expansive space that welcomed the light and opened to incredible views
Brettkelly, a blogger, mom of four and proud Kiwi, grew up in a New Zealand surf town where kids, dogs and surfboards naturally brought sand and sea into the home. "Our house had huge windows where you could sit and gaze out to sea all day long. I longed for that kind of home for my family here in the States and really wanted a place where I could invite friends over at the drop of a hat," she says. "And I think Wencke and Russ [Dotter, the coarchitect] just did a tremendous job of interpreting our need for this kind of openness in every single part of the house."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jody and Kevin Brettkelly and their 4 kids
Location: Oakland, California
Size: 3,847 square feet
Design challenge: Convert the maze of little, dark rooms that made up the house into an expansive space that welcomed the light and opened to incredible views
The open kitchen area makes up the home's central hub. An island countertop used for eating, homework, entertaining and crafts works extremely hard for a family that loves having impromptu parties.
Solfjeld says that pulling in the outdoors and establishing a more seamless connection with the surrounding landscape was a challenge with this home. "The house doesn't need much adornment. Jody and Kevin are art collectors and the windows already frame such amazing views," she says.
Kitchen: custom, Steve Strand, Strand Builders; cabinetry: San Francisco Design Center
Solfjeld says that pulling in the outdoors and establishing a more seamless connection with the surrounding landscape was a challenge with this home. "The house doesn't need much adornment. Jody and Kevin are art collectors and the windows already frame such amazing views," she says.
Kitchen: custom, Steve Strand, Strand Builders; cabinetry: San Francisco Design Center
BEFORE: The architect describes the old, ill-placed kitchen as a bit dreary. "It was all the way in the back of the house and had no view and no light," she says.
Australian spotted gum floors take a beating from get-togethers and fundraisers. "The floors are so tough. We hold lots of fundraisers for the kids' public schools here, and the floors have endured lots of stiletto marks — but the grain is so varied that you can't see scratches," says Brettkelly. Low-maintenance plastic furniture and white decor and surfaces lend the home a fresh, clean feel.
Flooring: Amber Flooring; rope chest: San Francisco Design Center; chandelier: The Lighting Studio
Flooring: Amber Flooring; rope chest: San Francisco Design Center; chandelier: The Lighting Studio
Native plants root the home to its surroundings, and walking up to the home's entry lets you experience the home's interior in a subtle way. "We repeated some of the colors of the home in the landscaping; the green door and window volume expressions give a taste of what to expect in the rest of the house," says Solfjeld.
Door and exterior paint: Dark Celery, Benjamin Moore
Door and exterior paint: Dark Celery, Benjamin Moore
Log-filled niches (one is visible here) add texture and dimension to the straight lines and angles of the entry. "Our neighbors have been so sweet throughout the remodel, but I know that there was this fear that our home would be cold and boxy," says Brettkelly. "I'd like to think that the house is a kind of warm modern and actually complements its surroundings."
Solfjeld and her team installed Nana doors and bay windows throughout the house, blending the indoor and outdoor living spaces. Outdoor furniture has found a place indoors, throwing the space a few curves.
Brettkelly loves the color and warmth of her home and purposely mixed wicker furnishings with glossy-finished contemporary kitchen decor. "I love color. I love eclecticism. I'm Kiwi — we have such an informal culture and really don't take ourselves too seriously," she says. "I think my coastal Kiwi spirit shines through in the house."
The architects and their team installed white Ceasarstone on the island and the extraordinarily long kitchen countertop. "It's inexpensive and looks great all the time," Brettkelly says.
The luxurious master bathroom delights both the clients and Solfjeld, who says the couple previously had a massive master bedroom and a "nothing" bath. "I moved them to a smaller room, but what they lost in space for the master bedroom, they gained in the luxurious bath and the incredible view that comes with it," she says.
Large, unadorned windows above the vanity frame the best view in the house. "But we needed mirrors," Solfjeld says. "So we attached a pair of mirrors to the windowsill, making them look like they're just floating midair. Their placement lets Jody and Kevin enjoy and maximize the relatively unobstructed views, and they even repeat the views of the back windows by the tub."
Bathroom: custom, design by Dotter & Solfjeld, construction by Steve Strand, Strand Builders; sinks: Rapsel
Bathroom: custom, design by Dotter & Solfjeld, construction by Steve Strand, Strand Builders; sinks: Rapsel
The architect recalls that she and her team stood on the road several times so they could determine the perfect placement for the windows — one that gave views from the inside while still maintaining the couple's privacy from passersby. "You can be naked inside the bathroom and no one will see you."
You can stand in the backyard and see all the way through to the front of the home. "I love how the house seems to exhale; it has this open, airy feel," says Brettkelly.
The contrast of hardscaping and artificial turf on the ground repeats the gray and green color contrast in the home's facade. "I love the AstroTurf," Brettkelly says. "The kids can play on it for hours and hours, and it maintains its softness, its color. Our puppy can poop on it, and all I have to do is clean it up with water. It's low maintenance, just like the rest of the house."
The contrast of hardscaping and artificial turf on the ground repeats the gray and green color contrast in the home's facade. "I love the AstroTurf," Brettkelly says. "The kids can play on it for hours and hours, and it maintains its softness, its color. Our puppy can poop on it, and all I have to do is clean it up with water. It's low maintenance, just like the rest of the house."
Pendant lights: The Lighting Studio