Inspiration for a transitional dining room remodel in San Francisco

A light-filled kitchen designed as part of a Modern Heritage renovation, where classic proportions are refined through a restrained, contemporary lens. Soft blue island cabinetry grounds the space, while white millwork, integrated storage, and generous glazing allow architecture and light to lead. Natural materials and balanced detailing create a kitchen that feels timeless, functional, and quietly modern.

Refined Continuity: Bridging Classical Architecture and Modern Living This comprehensive remodel of a grand Cow Hollow residence reimagines a historically expressive envelope through a lens of contemporary livability, precision detailing, and material restraint. The design approach carefully balances the home’s classical proportions and ornamental heritage with a refined, modern sensibility—evident in the disciplined palette of warm neutrals, soft plasters, pale oak flooring, and tailored millwork. Circulation has been clarified and subtly expanded to enhance spatial flow, while openings are leveraged to capture light, garden outlooks, and distant water views. Throughout, architectural interventions are executed with a high level of craft, ensuring that new insertions—whether cabinetry, railings, or apertures—read as seamless continuations of the original structure rather than applied elements. The kitchen serves as the operational and visual anchor of the home, conceived as a sculptural yet highly functional environment. Custom rift-cut cabinetry, softened through a desaturated finish, is paired with honed stone surfaces and integrated brass hardware to create a quiet, tactile richness. A monolithic island establishes a central gathering point, while perimeter work zones are carefully layered with concealed storage, integrated appliances, and open, backlit shelving that elevates everyday objects into curated displays. The adjacent bar and entertaining areas extend this language, reinforcing a cohesive hospitality-driven program. In parallel, the primary bathroom is designed as a serene, spa-like retreat, where bookmatched stone, frameless glass enclosures, and finely detailed metalwork converge. The composition prioritizes symmetry, clarity, and light—balancing generous volumes with intimate moments through integrated lighting, custom vanities, and a restrained material hierarchy. The library and ancillary living spaces introduce a more intimate scale, anchored by bespoke built-ins that combine closed storage with illuminated display niches, creating depth and rhythm along the walls. Here, material transitions and furniture integration are handled with particular nuance, allowing the architecture to support both quiet retreat and social gathering. A continuous language of custom railings—executed in refined metal profiles—threads through the interior and extends outward, where the exterior gate and garden elements have been reinterpreted to align with the home’s renewed identity. The entry sequence is now defined by a calibrated interplay of solidity and transparency, with sculptural metalwork and landscape integration establishing a sense of arrival that is both secure and elegant. Collectively, the project reflects a holistic transformation—one that elevates performance, livability, and aesthetic clarity while preserving the inherent dignity of the original architecture.

Located in McLean, Virginia, this contemporary residence was conceived as a study in contrast, an intentionally restrained street façade paired with a dramatically open rear elevation. The architecture balances privacy and openness through controlled volumes, warm materiality, and expansive glazing that connects interior living spaces to the surrounding landscape.

Living room arranged with a chaise sofa, indoor tree and two black lounge chairs. The composition balances soft seating with a low wood table and a restrained television wall.

A contemporary renovation on the Atlantic, this oceanfront residence sits within The Carlton—an intimate beachfront enclave just down the road from John's Island on Vero Beach's barrier island. The interior was reworked from the original layout into a light, open plan that runs from the entry straight through to the water. Walls of glass frame the ocean from nearly every room. The living and dining spaces open across honed limestone floors beneath a recessed tray ceiling, with a private terrace—columned, candle-lit, and set directly above the surf—extending the living area into the sea air. The kitchen was taken fully modern: handleless white cabinetry, integrated appliances, a waterfall island, and brushed-brass hardware, all kept clean against the natural-fiber textures of the rooms around it. Guest and primary baths were rebuilt with custom vanities, frameless glass, and quartz surfaces. Throughout, a restrained coastal palette—ivory, driftwood, woven natural materials—lets the ocean stay the focal point.

Poised within the exclusive Dancing Sun neighborhood of Tuhaye, Cloudveil is a 5,820-square-foot statement of elevated living — a refined mountain retreat where modern architecture, rich materiality, and natural serenity converge. With four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, and a design that embraces both comfort and sophistication, Cloudveil delivers a deeply personal take on luxury. The interiors reflect a masculine, modern aesthetic, marked by clean lines, grounded textures, and a restrained elegance. Anchoring the home is a dramatic open-concept living area, where custom Burchette & Burchette wood flooring sets the tone for timeless quality underfoot. Expansive glazing brings in filtered mountain light, evoking the home's namesake — soft, shifting veils of cloud that dance across the landscape. Bespoke lighting and tailored finishes amplify the home’s curated ambiance. For the wellness-minded, Cloudveil features a private spa sanctuary, complete with a custom sauna designed to soothe and restore. A dedicated golf simulator suite offers both leisure and precision, while generous gathering spaces — both indoors and out — encourage year-round entertaining. Fire features, intimate lounges, and mountain views make every moment immersive. Thoughtful details include an integrated smart lighting system, luxurious bath fixtures, and handcrafted millwork throughout — all chosen to enhance both the daily rhythm and the visual serenity of the home. Cloudveil is more than a home. It is a high-altitude haven — a quiet, powerful presence nestled in the Wasatch, where every element is designed not just to impress, but to endure. Architecture: BERG Design Interior Architecture: BERG Design

A contemporary renovation on the Atlantic, this oceanfront residence sits within The Carlton—an intimate beachfront enclave just down the road from John's Island on Vero Beach's barrier island. The interior was reworked from the original layout into a light, open plan that runs from the entry straight through to the water. Walls of glass frame the ocean from nearly every room. The living and dining spaces open across honed limestone floors beneath a recessed tray ceiling, with a private terrace—columned, candle-lit, and set directly above the surf—extending the living area into the sea air. The kitchen was taken fully modern: handleless white cabinetry, integrated appliances, a waterfall island, and brushed-brass hardware, all kept clean against the natural-fiber textures of the rooms around it. Guest and primary baths were rebuilt with custom vanities, frameless glass, and quartz surfaces. Throughout, a restrained coastal palette—ivory, driftwood, woven natural materials—lets the ocean stay the focal point.

Located in McLean, Virginia, this contemporary residence was conceived as a study in contrast, an intentionally restrained street façade paired with a dramatically open rear elevation. The architecture balances privacy and openness through controlled volumes, warm materiality, and expansive glazing that connects interior living spaces to the surrounding landscape.

A contemporary renovation on the Atlantic, this oceanfront residence sits within The Carlton—an intimate beachfront enclave just down the road from John's Island on Vero Beach's barrier island. The interior was reworked from the original layout into a light, open plan that runs from the entry straight through to the water. Walls of glass frame the ocean from nearly every room. The living and dining spaces open across honed limestone floors beneath a recessed tray ceiling, with a private terrace—columned, candle-lit, and set directly above the surf—extending the living area into the sea air. The kitchen was taken fully modern: handleless white cabinetry, integrated appliances, a waterfall island, and brushed-brass hardware, all kept clean against the natural-fiber textures of the rooms around it. Guest and primary baths were rebuilt with custom vanities, frameless glass, and quartz surfaces. Throughout, a restrained coastal palette—ivory, driftwood, woven natural materials—lets the ocean stay the focal point.

Plush navy blue arm chairs sit facing each other in an elevated serene primary bedroom. The chairs sit in front of a fireplace with clean lines and a mantle made of stone.

Poised within the exclusive Dancing Sun neighborhood of Tuhaye, Cloudveil is a 5,820-square-foot statement of elevated living — a refined mountain retreat where modern architecture, rich materiality, and natural serenity converge. With four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, and a design that embraces both comfort and sophistication, Cloudveil delivers a deeply personal take on luxury. The interiors reflect a masculine, modern aesthetic, marked by clean lines, grounded textures, and a restrained elegance. Anchoring the home is a dramatic open-concept living area, where custom Burchette & Burchette wood flooring sets the tone for timeless quality underfoot. Expansive glazing brings in filtered mountain light, evoking the home's namesake — soft, shifting veils of cloud that dance across the landscape. Bespoke lighting and tailored finishes amplify the home’s curated ambiance. For the wellness-minded, Cloudveil features a private spa sanctuary, complete with a custom sauna designed to soothe and restore. A dedicated golf simulator suite offers both leisure and precision, while generous gathering spaces — both indoors and out — encourage year-round entertaining. Fire features, intimate lounges, and mountain views make every moment immersive. Thoughtful details include an integrated smart lighting system, luxurious bath fixtures, and handcrafted millwork throughout — all chosen to enhance both the daily rhythm and the visual serenity of the home. Cloudveil is more than a home. It is a high-altitude haven — a quiet, powerful presence nestled in the Wasatch, where every element is designed not just to impress, but to endure. Architecture: BERG Design Interior Architecture: BERG Design

This master bathroom is designed as a spa-like retreat, defined by its oversized wall-to-wall vanity and expansive walk-in shower. A freestanding tub is positioned as a sculptural focal point, enhancing the sense of calm and luxury. Clean lines, continuous surfaces, and a restrained material palette create a seamless, airy feel, while thoughtful detailing brings warmth and sophistication to the space.

Malibu Glass Box House by Klopf Architecture Following the devastating Woolsey Fire of 2018, the site in Malibu offered a unique opportunity to rebuild not just a home, but a new architectural composition that highlighted the property’s potential while navigating strict fire-rebuild codes in the area. Designed by Klopf Architecture, this project embraced a set of limitations and translated them into an architectural asset. The city’s fire-rebuild process required the new structure to remain close to the original footprint, size and bulk, a constraint that ultimately clarified the architectural direction. Perched near the front of a long, narrow lot, the new home frames and overlooks a private, park-like rear expanse, an uncommon luxury especially in this part of Malibu . Without a fixed program, the design process allowed for a different kind of creative focus allowing Klopf Architecture the opportunity to explore how a modernist home could best respond to this site. The team approached the project not with a list of requirements, but with a question: How might a modernist live here? What spatial qualities would inspire calm, connection, and a sense of wonder in this setting? The process became less about problem-solving and more about architectural storytelling—letting the site, the light, and the principles of modern design guide the form and flow of the home. The response emerged in the form of a glass-box pavilion, an open, Mid-Century Modern inspired living, dining, and kitchen space that floats at the edge of the property’s natural descent. Connected to the more enclosed, private areas of the home by a glass-walled hallway, the living pavilion becomes a distinct centerpiece of the design. It opens on all four sides to the landscape with decks and patios on the flanks, an internal garden and water feature to the north, and a dramatic unguarded view of the expansive backyard and ocean horizon to the south. Because of the mandated footprint, careful planning was required to ensure every space could still engage with light, landscape, or both. Strategic voids in the form of atriums and courtyards allow daylight to filter deep into the home’s core, while offering moments of surprise and retreat. These design gestures allow natural light to filter deep into the interior, creating a sense of brightness and openness throughout the day. At the same time, they expand the perceptual boundaries between inside and out, making the home feel more expansive while anchoring its connection to the surrounding landscape. The siting of the house is what gives it its unique character. Rather than receding into the backyard like the neighboring homes, the house holds a slight prominence. From the central living pavilion, stepping down into the landscape feels more like entering a secluded park where a separate existing accessory structure, trail, and recreational areas await. The home’s modest street presence gives way to this unfolding drama of space, view, and nature. Fire-resilient materials and assemblies are integrated seamlessly throughout including triple-pane glazing, under-slab and roof insulation, and locally sourced fire-rated cladding ensure the house not only meets Calfornia’s rigorous wildland-urban interface (WUI) standards, but feels effortlessly aligned with them. While technical decisions like fire-hardening and mechanical systems presented some construction challenges, particularly around the cantilevered glass box, the team found a functional compromise that preserved the integrity of the design. Inside, a restrained palette and exposed post and beam design celebrate the ethos of mid-century modernism. A central circulation spine extends from the entry to the rear glass wall, offering a continuous visual link from street to ocean. Spaces such as the library and office, though more intimate in scale, are never cut off from nature as each opens to its own unique courtyard or garden view. Though born out of a strict regulatory framework and developed without a specific client, the rebuild design unfolded with remarkable clarity. Grounded in site logic, refined by limitations and an emphasis on timeless spatial relationships – light, proportion, and a strong connection to nature, the resulting design feels both effortless and uplifting. The home lives lightly on the land, opens generously to its surroundings, and strikes a careful balance between privacy, openness, and calm. For Klopf Architecture, it stands as a compelling case study in how site, code, and circumstantial constraints can inspire enduring, modernist architecture. With years of experience reimagining mid-century modern design for how people live today, the firm took the project’s limitations as an opportunity. The result is a home shaped by open, flowing spaces, strong indoor-outdoor connections, and a calm, clear sense of structure. It’s a good reminder that even with strict constraints, there’s still room for architecture to breathe—and for modernism to keep moving forward. Klopf Architecture project team: Geoff Campen, John Klopf, AIA, and Sherry Tan Structural Engineer: ZFA Contractor: Maison D’Artiste Photography: ©2025 Mariko Reed Year Completed: 2023

Part of the Hearth Residence whole-home renovation, this entry and stair hall was redesigned to create a brighter and more connected arrival experience. Warm oak stair treads, slender black metal spindles, and a restrained material palette establish a calm architectural backdrop while maintaining visual continuity throughout the home. The redesigned circulation spaces play an important role in the overall interior architecture strategy, improving sight lines, natural light distribution, and the flow between the home’s main living areas and second floor.

Poised within the exclusive Dancing Sun neighborhood of Tuhaye, Cloudveil is a 5,820-square-foot statement of elevated living — a refined mountain retreat where modern architecture, rich materiality, and natural serenity converge. With four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, and a design that embraces both comfort and sophistication, Cloudveil delivers a deeply personal take on luxury. The interiors reflect a masculine, modern aesthetic, marked by clean lines, grounded textures, and a restrained elegance. Anchoring the home is a dramatic open-concept living area, where custom Burchette & Burchette wood flooring sets the tone for timeless quality underfoot. Expansive glazing brings in filtered mountain light, evoking the home's namesake — soft, shifting veils of cloud that dance across the landscape. Bespoke lighting and tailored finishes amplify the home’s curated ambiance. For the wellness-minded, Cloudveil features a private spa sanctuary, complete with a custom sauna designed to soothe and restore. A dedicated golf simulator suite offers both leisure and precision, while generous gathering spaces — both indoors and out — encourage year-round entertaining. Fire features, intimate lounges, and mountain views make every moment immersive. Thoughtful details include an integrated smart lighting system, luxurious bath fixtures, and handcrafted millwork throughout — all chosen to enhance both the daily rhythm and the visual serenity of the home. Cloudveil is more than a home. It is a high-altitude haven — a quiet, powerful presence nestled in the Wasatch, where every element is designed not just to impress, but to endure. Architecture: BERG Design Interior Architecture: BERG Design

The primary bedroom was redesigned to feel calm, open, and directly connected to the landscape. Full-height glazing introduces consistent natural light while maintaining privacy through sheer drapery. Warm wood flooring and restrained detailing create a quiet backdrop, allowing the garden and filtered Bay light to define the atmosphere. The space reflects the broader intent of the remodel—clarity, simplicity, and alignment with site.

A direct connection to the landscape defines this dining space at The Edge. Framed by floor-to-ceiling glass, the room is oriented toward expansive mountain and water views, with natural light carrying through the space throughout the day. Clean lines, a restrained palette, and simple materials keep the focus where it belongs. On the setting, and the experience of being in it.

The home's simple gabled forms and restrained material palette create a timeless coastal presence. Native landscaping and mature palms soften the architecture, seamlessly connecting the residence to its oceanfront setting.