Full-overlay Rustic Beech cabinets in the "Charleston" door style and "Briarwood" finish. Village Home Stores
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The ground floor volumes wrapped in an elongated hand-fired brick, emphasizing the horizontality of the architecture that lays solidly on the land. (Photography by: Matthew Millman)

Corbin Henry
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A traditional look and feel was required for this farmhouse full bath remodel. Period touches such as a Carrera marble basket weave floor tile design and Jado’s Savina pedestal sink maximized the visual impact of this bath originally built in the late 1800’s. 3”x6” White Subway tile walls contributed to the clean, simple, yet classic look and feel. Custom wood linen tower and framed medicine cabinet in painted white finish ensure plenty of personal storage and convenience yet provide a streamline appearance, keeping with the period of this lovely antique.

Imbue Design
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Floating staircase with steel mono-stringer and white oak treads as seen from below. The wood top rail seamlessly flows up the multi level staircase. Stairs and railings by Keuka Studios Photography by Dave Noonan

DECO Window Fashions Sheer pleated custom made drapes, ceiling mount metal rod.
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This tower style linen cabinet, was commissioned by a customer looking to finish off their bathroom renovation with a custom made-to-fit linen cabinet that would match with their vanity. We designed and built this nearly 7 foot tall cabinet for the customer using traditional joinery methods, using rabbets and dados to hold the shelves in place for a very solid finished piece. Decorative molding and trim was added to the bottom of the cabinet and the legs provide a pleasing negative space under the tall cabinet. Prefabricated molding, that matched the customer's vanity, was added to the top of the piece for added effect. The piece was sealed and then finished with a white cabinet enamel. Decorative knobs were added to also match the vanity in the bathroom.

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This image performs an act of deliberate spatial framing: we are positioned as intruders in a threshold, the photograph's foreground bracketed by two monumental slabs of mahogany-toned door leaf and jamb that compress the visual field into a portal roughly one-third the width of the frame. The composition is therefore a study in *enfilade* logic — a controlled, telescoping sightline that draws the eye through a narrow aperture into a recessed alcove, a purpose-built writing niche carved from what appears to be a corridor or dressing-room vestibule. The niche itself is architecturally modest in footprint but generous in vertical proportion; the ceiling reads as a plain plastered plane, unadorned save for a surface-mounted linear picture light on a slender drop stem, and the wall is treated as a full-height field for a single dominant object. The joinery is the true architecture here: a continuous run of casework establishes a horizontal datum at desk height, with a cantilevered writing surface returning perpendicular to the left-hand wall and a lower bank of drawers and a shallow ledge running right. That ledge functions as a *cimaise* or picture shelf, resolving the base of the framed nautical chart and giving the composition a plinth. Above, an integrated soffit or upper cabinet with concealed under-lighting terminates the left elevation, reinforcing the sense of an inhabited, tailored recess rather than a room. The herringbone parquet in the foreground introduces a diagonal geometry that runs counter to the orthogonal grid of doors, casework and picture frame, and this friction — chevron against rectilinear — animates what would otherwise be a static, axial composition. The single chair, canted slightly off-axis and pulled away from the desk, is the compositional pivot: it breaks the symmetry, occupies the exact center of the aperture, and converts an architectural vignette into a narrative one. The palette is a disciplined exercise in the warm end of the spectrum, essentially monochromatic in hue and differentiated almost entirely by value, sheen and grain. The dominant material is timber, deployed in at least three distinct registers: the foreground door and jamb in a deeply saturated, red-brown mahogany or sapele with a high-build lacquer or French-polish sheen that catches light in long vertical highlights; the desk and casework in a lighter, honeyed figured wood — quartered cherry or anigre — finished to a satin rather than gloss, so that the eye reads it as a working surface rather than a ceremonial one; and finally the pale, blond oak of the herringbone floor, cerused or naturally oxidized to a straw tonality that lifts the lower register of the frame. Against this timber triad, the walls provide a chalky, low-saturation ground: a limewashed or flat-emulsion cream with a distinctly yellow-warm undertone that absorbs rather than reflects. The upholstery is the room's chromatic keynote — a saddle-tan or cognac leather, semi-aniline, already developing patina and slight slouch at the seat, its edge articulated by a close-set brass or antique-nickel nailhead trim that reads as a stitched seam of tiny metallic points. Metals are used sparingly and with historical precision: the polished chrome rosette and knob of the door with its heavy escutcheon and mortise strike plate, the slim brushed housing of the picture light. Texturally, the room stages a dialogue between the hard, reflective and the soft, absorbent: lacquer against limewash, taut leather against the friable, foxed paper of the antique chart. That chart — a hydrographic survey rendered in ochre, sepia and faded aqua, its ebonized frame supplying the composition's only true black — is the material anchor, its aged paper introducing a granular, time-worn texture that no new surface in the room could supply. The terrier, coincidentally or not, participates in this material scheme: a wiry tan-and-black coat that reads as a textile in its own right, tonally identical to the leather beneath it. The lighting design is layered, warm-Kelvin and almost entirely artificial in its narrative effect, though the scene depends on a critical unseen source. A shaft of low, raking daylight enters from the right — presumably a window outside the frame — and lands as a hard-edged parallelogram across the parquet and the chair's front rail, creating the image's strongest contrast and lending the floor a sense of temporal specificity: late afternoon, low sun. Against this, three artificial layers operate. The surface-mounted picture light washes the nautical chart in an even, slightly amber flood, functioning as accent lighting that establishes the chart as the room's hierarchical focus. Concealed strip lighting beneath the upper casework grazes the left-hand desk return, providing task illumination and articulating the millwork's shadow line. Ambient fill is minimal and deliberately so; the corners of the niche fall into soft, unresolved shadow, and the whole tableau is rendered in a narrow tonal band of amber and umber that suppresses cool light almost entirely. The resulting atmosphere is one of burnished interiority — hushed, crepuscular, protective. Stylistically, the room resists easy categorization but sits most comfortably within a contemporary *Warm Traditionalism* or refined **Anglo-American Modern Classic** idiom: the vocabulary is unmistakably tailored-traditional (nailhead-trimmed leather, mortise hardware, framed cartography, a Deco-inflected barrel-back desk chair), yet the detailing is stripped of ornament — no cornice, no panel molding, no applied millwork profile — and the casework is resolved with the flush, planar minimalism of a mid-century yacht interior. It is, in essence, a *cabinet de travail* reimagined through the discipline of modern joinery: a room that borrows the emotional register of the club library while adopting the reductive geometry of contemporary architecture. The dog, unhurried and centrally enthroned, is the final aesthetic argument — evidence that the space is not a set piece but a lived, occupied, and evidently affectionate interior.

From Mid-Century Classic to the Present An iconic design updated with comfort, function, and flow for today. A Remodel That Balances Past and Present What started as a desire to update a classic Eichler soon became an exploration of how Mid-Century Modern design can successfully evolve for today. The client, a tech professional with a passion for scuba diving and underwater photography, wanted a home that would both honor its original character and feel tailored to his daily life. A lifelong technology enthusiast, he still owns the very first Mac desktop he saved up for as a teenager working at Radio Shack, a detail that underscores his appreciation for design that melds function and form. Honoring Separation While Expanding Possibility Unlike many contemporary remodels where walls are opened up to create expansive living spaces, this project took a more restrained approach. The client valued the defined rooms of the original plan and wanted to preserve as much wall space as possible for displaying his large-format underwater photography. The emphasis was not on dramatic spatial reinvention, but on thoughtful refinements. Klopf Architecture shaped a gallery-like backdrop while also expanding the primary suite, modernizing materials and fixtures throughout the home, and improving the functionality and layout of the kitchen. The finished home feels at once timeless and renewed, an Eichler that continues to inspire while fully supporting the lifestyle of its present-day owner. A major turning point came mid-design. The original project brief had not included an addition, but as the reconfiguration of the primary bedroom and bath unfolded, it became clear that an expansion was the best approach to achieve the client’s vision of a more spacious suite. Fortunately, the adjustment came at a stage when revisions were still manageable and was integrated seamlessly, showing how thoughtful course corrections can strengthen a project rather than hinder it. Navigating Challenges With Precision The design development included multiple conceptual rounds, balancing preservation with subtle expansion. During construction, an existing post previously thought to be load-bearing turned out not to be. The structural engineer was able to pivot quickly, and both the post and the cross beam that had been intended to replace it could be omitted, allowing the original rhythm of the Eichler beam bays to be preserved. Sustainability was not just a checklist item, but a way to align the home with the client’s values of simplicity, efficiency, and long-term functionality. R-38 roof insulation reduced energy usage, solar panels with battery storage provided independence and resilience, and passive comfort strategies eliminated the need forenergy-intensive air conditioning. An electric vehicle charger and an on-demand hot water recirculation system (with call buttons as opposed to having constant circulation) add to the home’s long-term efficiency factors. Together, these moves created a home that is quieter, more comfortable, and better equipped for the future, qualities that supported the client’s pragmatic approach to design and living lightly. Details That Respect the Eichler DNA The remodel carries forward the Eichler’s original spirit while introducing new layers of modern livability. Originally, the house was approached along a deep, narrow walk, with the garage on one side and the house on the other, leaving the front door tucked far back within this chasm-like space. By pulling the entry forward, the design reshaped the arrival experience, creating a clearer threshold and a natural drop-off zone for bags, shoes, and keys. This shift also made room for a custom bench at the entry that extends seamlessly through the glass sidelight. The bench and drop-off zone now work together as a single, integrated sequence that supports everyday living while offering a tactile reminder of Eichler’s philosophy of connectedness. At the client’s request, Klopf reintroduced a classic Eichler gesture by extending the exterior siding into the entry and living room. The detail reinforces a sense of indoor/outdoor continuity while providing a subtle architectural surface that allows the client’s photography to take visual precedence. The signature concrete masonry wall at the front was reconstructed using blocks sourced to match the originals, now strengthened with rebar for seismic resilience while maintaining a private outdoor courtyard, visually extending the kitchen outward. A decorative trellis element, a detail borrowed from a neighboring Eichler, restores a familiar mid-century modern architectural motif. At the courtyard entry door, a custom etched glass sidelight with an ocean-themed design featuring kelp and jellyfish serves as a subtle homage to the client’s passion for deep-sea diving. Landscaping became an integral part of the overall transformation. The homeowner engaged landscape architect Randi Johnsen of Third Nature Studio to shape a series of calm, inviting outdoor rooms that read as a natural extension of the interiors. While technically outside of the core construction scope, the landscape design proved central to achieving a sense of completeness and connectedness across the property. Such whole-property considerations often emerge as design ideas take shape, underscoring the importance of flexibility in planning and budgeting, as well as close collaboration among the design team starting early in the process. The Value of Evolving Scope As with many custom residential projects, the scope evolved during the design process. What began as a targeted remodel grew to include a new/expanded primary suite, a rebuilt CMU patio wall for strength and longevity, and a solar panel array and battery storage for energy resilience and carbon-reduction. Each thoughtful decision represented a conscious investment in the home’s performance and character, rather than a cost overrun. The result was a project delivered on schedule, tailored precisely to the client’s lifestyle, and positioned to add long-term value both functionally and aesthetically. By embracing scope evolution as an opportunity rather than a challenge, and relying on good design paired with transparent communication, this remodel demonstrates how Eichler homes can be adapted for contemporary living without erasing their DNA. Klopf Architecture project team: John Klopf, AIA, and Klara Kevane, Elise Webb and Nicholas LaNasa. Contractor: Golden Cove Construction Landscape Design: Third Nature Studio Structural Engineer: Daniel Bastiao Design Photography: ©2025 Mariko Reed Year Completed: 2024 Location: Sunnyvale, CA