Usage of low maintenance materials, refinishing and reusing cabinets, and reallocating space instead of changing the home’s footprint kept this project green. Clients were also able to live on site during the renovation due to the low-VOC and water-based finishes, and our constant indoor air-quality monitoring. The entry and main floor, kitchen, and both baths now feel fresh, airy, and spacious, allowing for immediate relaxation in taking in natural light, water views and sunsets from this West Seattle split-level home.

Screened Porches Screened porches make up the rear of the house, but one can see the covered side porch at left (with Master Bath shower above) and the new back deck at the right. The back yard is decidedly low maintenance, with its artificial turf grass and gravel areas at the perimeter (where the dogs patrol). fiber cement siding painted Cleveland Green (7" siding), Sweet Vibrations (4" siding), and Texas Leather (11" siding)—all by Benjamin Moore • window trim and clerestory band painted Night Horizon by Benjamin Moore • soffit & fascia painted Camouflage by Benjamin Moore. Construction by CG&S Design-Build. Photography by Tre Dunham, Fine focus Photography

Three Phases, One Family: Inside a Klopf Eichler Remodel When an executive mom and her two young children moved into their Eichler, she made a deliberate choice: to renovate the home in a way that honored, rather than erased, the qualities that make Eichlers distinctive in the first place. That decision set the tone for what would become a five-year, three-phase collaboration with architecture and interior design firm Klopf Architecture and general contractor Keycon, that touched nearly every room in the house and, along the way, turned a client-architect relationship into something closer. Living Through the Work Unlike many remodels where clients decamp to a rental during construction, this family stayed put through all three phases. That meant the Klopf team didn't just design the home, they watched it get lived in room by room in real time. Phase 1 covered the kitchen and living areas; by the time the team moved into later phases, they had already seen how the family actually used the spaces they'd designed earlier. That feedback loop and conversations with the client shaped the rest of the project directly. She said “throughout the various phases as they were completed, each day I noticed a new detail,” and shared her feedback with the design team. For instance, she loved the countertops chosen for the kitchen in Phase 1, so those same countertops appeared in the bathrooms designed in later phases. She loved the playful backsplash tile in the kitchen, so a similar sense of pattern and play carried into her bathroom in Phase 2 and a second bath in Phase 3. The result is a home where each phase speaks to the ones before it, rather than reading as a series of disconnected updates. Opening Up the Center of the House At the heart of the project was a reorganization of the home's most-used spaces. Klopf reclaimed a former dining area off the great room to build a larger kitchen, opening it directly onto the living space and freeing up room for the family to actually gather for reading, games, meals, TV, and the ordinary business of daily life with two kids and a dog. New floor-to-ceiling glass panels now connect the living space to the home's atrium, pulling light and views in from both directions, doubling down on the indoor-outdoor connection the style is known for. But more glass also meant less privacy, particularly at the entry, where a new wall of glass would otherwise open the courtyard directly to the street. Klopf's solution was a custom-designed slanted wood slat pivot gate at the front of the house: a piece that lets light filter through while blocking sight lines from passersby. It's a small architectural gesture that solves a real problem, creating privacy without sacrificing the light-filled openness the redesign was built around. Each of the children's bedrooms was custom-tailored to its occupant, a detail that mattered more with each passing year as the "young kids" in Phase 1 grew into the teenagers they became by the project's close. Five Years and Increased Capabilities A project of this length rarely survives with the same team intact, and this one didn't. Klopf’s original project leader left the firm part way through, but John Klopf and Elise Webb remained on the project from start to finish for continuity. Instead of shrinking, the Klopf team actually grew when their new interior design department was formed in 2024. The client was excited about Klopf’s new interiors capabilities, and welcomed Justine Alvarez and Ekaterina Nesterova on board to expand what had been an architectural scope into an architecture-plus-interiors effort. In the end Klopf handled the design from exterior envelope and layout down to the materials, colors, furnishings, décor, and finishing touches. What began as an architectural renovation ended up as something more comprehensive: a complete reimagining of the home's interiors as well as its bones, extending down to details as small as the containers on the bathroom counter. Carrying the Vision Through to the Furnishings Klopf's interior design department helped turn good architecture into a place a family actually lives. The interiors team worked closely with the client on furniture, fabrics, lighting, and accessories, sourcing and coordinating with makers and vendors in both the U.S. and Europe. The guiding idea was continuity: every piece needed to feel like it belonged in the house, not added to it. The custom counter stools are a good example. Intended to pick up on the cabinetry materials already in the kitchen, they were designed with carefully selected leather so the seating reads as part of the same architectural language. The sofa, rug, pillows, and other pieces followed the same logic, with material, color, and proportion all considered against the architecture they'd sit inside. Even the playful character of the bathroom tile found its way into the furnishings, translating into fun, playful accents in the textiles and finishes while staying period-appropriate to the Eichler itself. Benefitting from the feedback loop that shaped the architecture from phase to phase, the interiors team took cues from material and design decisions made in earlier phases when selecting the furnishings, so that the finished home reads as one continuous idea rather than a set of separate decisions layered on top of each other. That continuity came with its own hardships. A few months after furniture purchasing began, new tariffs took effect, affecting the overall furniture budget and adding complexity to ordering and expediting pieces. Developing custom furniture added a further layer of coordination on top of that: aligning fabric and leather samples and wood finishes with the architecture meant close, ongoing communication with makers throughout fabrication. With some pieces produced internationally, lead times, shipping, and customs all had to be carefully managed; in a few instances, that pushed the timeline out further still. In the end, the extra time was worth it: it's what allowed the team to get the materials and details right and keep the design cohesive throughout the home. A Relationship, Not Just a Project Ask the Klopf team what made this project unique, and the answer isn't really about square footage or finishes. It's about time. Over five years, the team got to know the family in a way a shorter project never allows — watching the kids head off to summer camp, meeting the foster kittens that passed through the house, getting to know the dog walker's daily routine. It became a professional relationship that was also a personal one. That closeness extended into the design process itself once the interiors team came on board. The client made a point of involving her kids in meetings about their own rooms, letting them weigh in on the vision and hopes they had for the spaces. Her daughter, in particular, was thrilled at the chance to work with an interior designer and help build her dream room, a small detail that speaks to how thoroughly this project became a family effort, not just a service delivered to one. That closeness shows up in the house itself. During Phase 1, the client asked everyone involved to sign the pony wall in the new kitchen. The Klopf team, the client, her kids, and the Keycon crew all left their names there, a permanent record of the people who built the house together. The Client said: “I am filled with joy and gratitude to be able to live in such a beautiful space and to have gotten the chance to work with such a talented team. The mark of true artistry is the attention to detail that allows one to experience the design in different ways. One might be looking at the same view, but because of the way the light moves, it’s a totally different perspective.” By the time the third phase wrapped, there was a running joke on site: nobody actually wanted the project to end, and the team half-seriously floated the idea of a "Phase 4." It's a fitting note for a project defined less by any single renovation than by five years of a family and their architects growing, quite literally, alongside one another. Klopf Architecture Team: John Klopf, AIA, Elise Webb, Yegvenia Torres-Zavala, Justine Alvarez, and Ekaterina Nesterova
Interior Design and FF&E: Klopf Architecture
Structural Engineer: BASE Design Inc.
Contractor: Keycon Inc.
Photography: ©2026 Mariko Reed
Year Completed: 2026
Location: Palo Alto, CA

Second floor basketball/ sports court - perfect place for just running around - need this with Chicago's winters! Landmark Photography
Indoor basketball/tennis/multi-game court - contemporary indoor basketball/tennis/multi-game court idea in Chicago with gray walls

Photo by Susie Soleimani
Mid-sized elegant multicolored split-level mixed siding gable roof photo in DC Metro with a shingle roof

Second-story addition with covered porch on existing split-level home.
Example of a large classic white split-level mixed siding gable roof design in DC Metro with a shingle roof

Nestled in the hills of Orinda, California, this 1951 residence is one of only seven extant homes, now known as “The Magnificent Seven”, designed by architect Olof Dahlstrand, a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. With its low-slung rooflines, natural materials, and deep integration with the sloping landscape, the home is a pristine example of mid-century modern design inspired by Wright’s organic principles. Over the years, prior homeowners have emphasized preservation, ensuring that the house remained relatively untouched. Each owner has respected the original architecture and stayed true to Dahlstrand’s intent. When a family of five—two college-aged sons and a middle school-aged daughter—acquired the property, they were captivated by its history, legacy of care, and architectural significance. While they appreciated Dahlstrand’s original vision, they also recognized the need to adapt the home for contemporary living while preserving its design integrity. The remodel was conceived as a thoughtful response to the past—an effort to bring the house into the 21st century without compromising its soul. The primary mandate was to maintain architectural continuity while improving the functionality, comfort, and livability for a modern family. The design team—architects and contractor alike—worked with a shared reverence for the original architecture, allowing that mindset to guide even the most technical or pragmatic decisions. A key objective was to increase natural light in the kitchen—a departure from Wrightian principles of enclosed, intimate cooking spaces—while maintaining the home’s architectural language. The kitchen was reconfigured to foster a stronger connection to adjacent living spaces while retaining the underlying concept of spatial separation. One of the most transformative architectural changes was the removal of a ridge beam that was originally planned to remain visible through the kitchen. During construction, the team collaborated on a better solution: a wide-flanged steel beam concealed within the roof envelope. This subtle move preserved the clean lines and ceiling continuity, a modern update carried out with utmost respect for the existing framework. The home’s original powder room, previously accessible only through the kitchen, was relocated for better flow and privacy. A new powder room was carved out of former kitchen cabinetry—a narrow, interior space that could have felt dark and enclosed. To avoid this, the design extended the line of original transom windows into the new powder room and added a skylight above the vanity. The result is a bright and airy space that feels consistent with the rest of the home. Other updates included the installation of new solid-core interior doors with veneers carefully matched to the original mahogany, enhancing the continuity of the interiors. Even smaller decisions, such as placing the door knobs at 42 inches high, mirrored the original proportions. Every choice reflected a shared belief between the architect, contractor, and client: that new work should serve the integrity of the old. The home’s extensive interior redwood millwork and paneling was meticulously restored. Where new materials were introduced—such as the replacement redwood soffit paneling—the contractor took pains to find finish nails that matched the original, rather than using modern equivalents. This level of craftsmanship and collaboration defined the project. It extended even to the detailing of a blind door to the new powder room, which had to disappear into the existing redwood board-and-batten wall. It was a team effort: the owner found a suitable handle, the architects devised the custom in-swing mechanism, and the contractor executed it so the door aligned precisely with the battens. Throughout, the homeowners were deeply engaged in the design process. One, a meticulous design enthusiast, focused on aesthetic integrity and historic detail. The other brought a practical and function-driven perspective, ensuring that new fixtures and materials would be durable and require minimal maintenance. While the home’s location posed no major site challenges, sustainability was a key concern. The team upgraded the roof insulation, installed solar panels with battery storage, and added ductless mini-split cooling systems. Lighting was another area where modern technology was woven into a historic framework: new square LED fixtures echo the original custom perimeter soffit lights, maintaining the design language while offering advanced performance. A planned expansion of a bedroom into suite with a bathroom had to be shelved due to budget constraints and the high cost of below-grade foundation work. Still, the team focused their efforts on making the most of the existing footprint, resolving constraints through design ingenuity rather than adding square footage. This renovation represents a collaborative achievement in preserving and evolving a historically significant home. Every decision was shaped by a shared ethos among clients, architects, and contractor: to maintain the home’s architectural soul while updating it for contemporary life. The result is a timeless modernist residence that continues Olof Dahlstrand’s legacy, remaining grounded in nature, craftsmanship, and human-scale design. Klopf Architecture Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane, Fernanda Bernardes
Interior Architectural Design: Klopf Architecture
Structural Engineer: Daniel Bastiao
Contractor: Don Larwood, Larwood Construction Photography: Mariko Reed Year Completed: 2022

Nestled in the hills of Orinda, California, this 1951 residence is one of only seven extant homes, now known as “The Magnificent Seven”, designed by architect Olof Dahlstrand, a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. With its low-slung rooflines, natural materials, and deep integration with the sloping landscape, the home is a pristine example of mid-century modern design inspired by Wright’s organic principles. Over the years, prior homeowners have emphasized preservation, ensuring that the house remained relatively untouched. Each owner has respected the original architecture and stayed true to Dahlstrand’s intent. When a family of five—two college-aged sons and a middle school-aged daughter—acquired the property, they were captivated by its history, legacy of care, and architectural significance. While they appreciated Dahlstrand’s original vision, they also recognized the need to adapt the home for contemporary living while preserving its design integrity. The remodel was conceived as a thoughtful response to the past—an effort to bring the house into the 21st century without compromising its soul. The primary mandate was to maintain architectural continuity while improving the functionality, comfort, and livability for a modern family. The design team—architects and contractor alike—worked with a shared reverence for the original architecture, allowing that mindset to guide even the most technical or pragmatic decisions. A key objective was to increase natural light in the kitchen—a departure from Wrightian principles of enclosed, intimate cooking spaces—while maintaining the home’s architectural language. The kitchen was reconfigured to foster a stronger connection to adjacent living spaces while retaining the underlying concept of spatial separation. One of the most transformative architectural changes was the removal of a ridge beam that was originally planned to remain visible through the kitchen. During construction, the team collaborated on a better solution: a wide-flanged steel beam concealed within the roof envelope. This subtle move preserved the clean lines and ceiling continuity, a modern update carried out with utmost respect for the existing framework. The home’s original powder room, previously accessible only through the kitchen, was relocated for better flow and privacy. A new powder room was carved out of former kitchen cabinetry—a narrow, interior space that could have felt dark and enclosed. To avoid this, the design extended the line of original transom windows into the new powder room and added a skylight above the vanity. The result is a bright and airy space that feels consistent with the rest of the home. Other updates included the installation of new solid-core interior doors with veneers carefully matched to the original mahogany, enhancing the continuity of the interiors. Even smaller decisions, such as placing the door knobs at 42 inches high, mirrored the original proportions. Every choice reflected a shared belief between the architect, contractor, and client: that new work should serve the integrity of the old. The home’s extensive interior redwood millwork and paneling was meticulously restored. Where new materials were introduced—such as the replacement redwood soffit paneling—the contractor took pains to find finish nails that matched the original, rather than using modern equivalents. This level of craftsmanship and collaboration defined the project. It extended even to the detailing of a blind door to the new powder room, which had to disappear into the existing redwood board-and-batten wall. It was a team effort: the owner found a suitable handle, the architects devised the custom in-swing mechanism, and the contractor executed it so the door aligned precisely with the battens. Throughout, the homeowners were deeply engaged in the design process. One, a meticulous design enthusiast, focused on aesthetic integrity and historic detail. The other brought a practical and function-driven perspective, ensuring that new fixtures and materials would be durable and require minimal maintenance. While the home’s location posed no major site challenges, sustainability was a key concern. The team upgraded the roof insulation, installed solar panels with battery storage, and added ductless mini-split cooling systems. Lighting was another area where modern technology was woven into a historic framework: new square LED fixtures echo the original custom perimeter soffit lights, maintaining the design language while offering advanced performance. A planned expansion of a bedroom into suite with a bathroom had to be shelved due to budget constraints and the high cost of below-grade foundation work. Still, the team focused their efforts on making the most of the existing footprint, resolving constraints through design ingenuity rather than adding square footage. This renovation represents a collaborative achievement in preserving and evolving a historically significant home. Every decision was shaped by a shared ethos among clients, architects, and contractor: to maintain the home’s architectural soul while updating it for contemporary life. The result is a timeless modernist residence that continues Olof Dahlstrand’s legacy, remaining grounded in nature, craftsmanship, and human-scale design. Klopf Architecture Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane, Fernanda Bernardes
Interior Architectural Design: Klopf Architecture
Structural Engineer: Daniel Bastiao
Contractor: Don Larwood, Larwood Construction Photography: Mariko Reed Year Completed: 2022

Kitchen design from a split-level home renovation in Plainview, NY.
Mid-sized transitional l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen photo in New York with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, gray backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and gray countertops

Project Team: Ben Awes, AIA, Principal-In-Charge, Bob Ganser AIA, Christian Dean, AIA, Nate Dodge Photography: Brandon Stengel @ Farm Kid Studios
Trendy foyer photo in Minneapolis with a glass front door

Photo by Travis Peterson.
Mid-sized transitional master white tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile and white floor alcove shower photo in Seattle with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door and white countertops

Nestled in the hills of Orinda, California, this 1951 residence is one of only seven extant homes, now known as “The Magnificent Seven”, designed by architect Olof Dahlstrand, a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. With its low-slung rooflines, natural materials, and deep integration with the sloping landscape, the home is a pristine example of mid-century modern design inspired by Wright’s organic principles. Over the years, prior homeowners have emphasized preservation, ensuring that the house remained relatively untouched. Each owner has respected the original architecture and stayed true to Dahlstrand’s intent. When a family of five—two college-aged sons and a middle school-aged daughter—acquired the property, they were captivated by its history, legacy of care, and architectural significance. While they appreciated Dahlstrand’s original vision, they also recognized the need to adapt the home for contemporary living while preserving its design integrity. The remodel was conceived as a thoughtful response to the past—an effort to bring the house into the 21st century without compromising its soul. The primary mandate was to maintain architectural continuity while improving the functionality, comfort, and livability for a modern family. The design team—architects and contractor alike—worked with a shared reverence for the original architecture, allowing that mindset to guide even the most technical or pragmatic decisions. A key objective was to increase natural light in the kitchen—a departure from Wrightian principles of enclosed, intimate cooking spaces—while maintaining the home’s architectural language. The kitchen was reconfigured to foster a stronger connection to adjacent living spaces while retaining the underlying concept of spatial separation. One of the most transformative architectural changes was the removal of a ridge beam that was originally planned to remain visible through the kitchen. During construction, the team collaborated on a better solution: a wide-flanged steel beam concealed within the roof envelope. This subtle move preserved the clean lines and ceiling continuity, a modern update carried out with utmost respect for the existing framework. The home’s original powder room, previously accessible only through the kitchen, was relocated for better flow and privacy. A new powder room was carved out of former kitchen cabinetry—a narrow, interior space that could have felt dark and enclosed. To avoid this, the design extended the line of original transom windows into the new powder room and added a skylight above the vanity. The result is a bright and airy space that feels consistent with the rest of the home. Other updates included the installation of new solid-core interior doors with veneers carefully matched to the original mahogany, enhancing the continuity of the interiors. Even smaller decisions, such as placing the door knobs at 42 inches high, mirrored the original proportions. Every choice reflected a shared belief between the architect, contractor, and client: that new work should serve the integrity of the old. The home’s extensive interior redwood millwork and paneling was meticulously restored. Where new materials were introduced—such as the replacement redwood soffit paneling—the contractor took pains to find finish nails that matched the original, rather than using modern equivalents. This level of craftsmanship and collaboration defined the project. It extended even to the detailing of a blind door to the new powder room, which had to disappear into the existing redwood board-and-batten wall. It was a team effort: the owner found a suitable handle, the architects devised the custom in-swing mechanism, and the contractor executed it so the door aligned precisely with the battens. Throughout, the homeowners were deeply engaged in the design process. One, a meticulous design enthusiast, focused on aesthetic integrity and historic detail. The other brought a practical and function-driven perspective, ensuring that new fixtures and materials would be durable and require minimal maintenance. While the home’s location posed no major site challenges, sustainability was a key concern. The team upgraded the roof insulation, installed solar panels with battery storage, and added ductless mini-split cooling systems. Lighting was another area where modern technology was woven into a historic framework: new square LED fixtures echo the original custom perimeter soffit lights, maintaining the design language while offering advanced performance. A planned expansion of a bedroom into suite with a bathroom had to be shelved due to budget constraints and the high cost of below-grade foundation work. Still, the team focused their efforts on making the most of the existing footprint, resolving constraints through design ingenuity rather than adding square footage. This renovation represents a collaborative achievement in preserving and evolving a historically significant home. Every decision was shaped by a shared ethos among clients, architects, and contractor: to maintain the home’s architectural soul while updating it for contemporary life. The result is a timeless modernist residence that continues Olof Dahlstrand’s legacy, remaining grounded in nature, craftsmanship, and human-scale design. Klopf Architecture Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane, Fernanda Bernardes
Interior Architectural Design: Klopf Architecture
Structural Engineer: Daniel Bastiao
Contractor: Don Larwood, Larwood Construction Photography: Mariko Reed Year Completed: 2022

Three Phases, One Family: Inside a Klopf Eichler Remodel When an executive mom and her two young children moved into their Eichler, she made a deliberate choice: to renovate the home in a way that honored, rather than erased, the qualities that make Eichlers distinctive in the first place. That decision set the tone for what would become a five-year, three-phase collaboration with architecture and interior design firm Klopf Architecture and general contractor Keycon, that touched nearly every room in the house and, along the way, turned a client-architect relationship into something closer. Living Through the Work Unlike many remodels where clients decamp to a rental during construction, this family stayed put through all three phases. That meant the Klopf team didn't just design the home, they watched it get lived in room by room in real time. Phase 1 covered the kitchen and living areas; by the time the team moved into later phases, they had already seen how the family actually used the spaces they'd designed earlier. That feedback loop and conversations with the client shaped the rest of the project directly. She said “throughout the various phases as they were completed, each day I noticed a new detail,” and shared her feedback with the design team. For instance, she loved the countertops chosen for the kitchen in Phase 1, so those same countertops appeared in the bathrooms designed in later phases. She loved the playful backsplash tile in the kitchen, so a similar sense of pattern and play carried into her bathroom in Phase 2 and a second bath in Phase 3. The result is a home where each phase speaks to the ones before it, rather than reading as a series of disconnected updates. Opening Up the Center of the House At the heart of the project was a reorganization of the home's most-used spaces. Klopf reclaimed a former dining area off the great room to build a larger kitchen, opening it directly onto the living space and freeing up room for the family to actually gather for reading, games, meals, TV, and the ordinary business of daily life with two kids and a dog. New floor-to-ceiling glass panels now connect the living space to the home's atrium, pulling light and views in from both directions, doubling down on the indoor-outdoor connection the style is known for. But more glass also meant less privacy, particularly at the entry, where a new wall of glass would otherwise open the courtyard directly to the street. Klopf's solution was a custom-designed slanted wood slat pivot gate at the front of the house: a piece that lets light filter through while blocking sight lines from passersby. It's a small architectural gesture that solves a real problem, creating privacy without sacrificing the light-filled openness the redesign was built around. Each of the children's bedrooms was custom-tailored to its occupant, a detail that mattered more with each passing year as the "young kids" in Phase 1 grew into the teenagers they became by the project's close. Five Years and Increased Capabilities A project of this length rarely survives with the same team intact, and this one didn't. Klopf’s original project leader left the firm part way through, but John Klopf and Elise Webb remained on the project from start to finish for continuity. Instead of shrinking, the Klopf team actually grew when their new interior design department was formed in 2024. The client was excited about Klopf’s new interiors capabilities, and welcomed Justine Alvarez and Ekaterina Nesterova on board to expand what had been an architectural scope into an architecture-plus-interiors effort. In the end Klopf handled the design from exterior envelope and layout down to the materials, colors, furnishings, décor, and finishing touches. What began as an architectural renovation ended up as something more comprehensive: a complete reimagining of the home's interiors as well as its bones, extending down to details as small as the containers on the bathroom counter. Carrying the Vision Through to the Furnishings Klopf's interior design department helped turn good architecture into a place a family actually lives. The interiors team worked closely with the client on furniture, fabrics, lighting, and accessories, sourcing and coordinating with makers and vendors in both the U.S. and Europe. The guiding idea was continuity: every piece needed to feel like it belonged in the house, not added to it. The custom counter stools are a good example. Intended to pick up on the cabinetry materials already in the kitchen, they were designed with carefully selected leather so the seating reads as part of the same architectural language. The sofa, rug, pillows, and other pieces followed the same logic, with material, color, and proportion all considered against the architecture they'd sit inside. Even the playful character of the bathroom tile found its way into the furnishings, translating into fun, playful accents in the textiles and finishes while staying period-appropriate to the Eichler itself. Benefitting from the feedback loop that shaped the architecture from phase to phase, the interiors team took cues from material and design decisions made in earlier phases when selecting the furnishings, so that the finished home reads as one continuous idea rather than a set of separate decisions layered on top of each other. That continuity came with its own hardships. A few months after furniture purchasing began, new tariffs took effect, affecting the overall furniture budget and adding complexity to ordering and expediting pieces. Developing custom furniture added a further layer of coordination on top of that: aligning fabric and leather samples and wood finishes with the architecture meant close, ongoing communication with makers throughout fabrication. With some pieces produced internationally, lead times, shipping, and customs all had to be carefully managed; in a few instances, that pushed the timeline out further still. In the end, the extra time was worth it: it's what allowed the team to get the materials and details right and keep the design cohesive throughout the home. A Relationship, Not Just a Project Ask the Klopf team what made this project unique, and the answer isn't really about square footage or finishes. It's about time. Over five years, the team got to know the family in a way a shorter project never allows — watching the kids head off to summer camp, meeting the foster kittens that passed through the house, getting to know the dog walker's daily routine. It became a professional relationship that was also a personal one. That closeness extended into the design process itself once the interiors team came on board. The client made a point of involving her kids in meetings about their own rooms, letting them weigh in on the vision and hopes they had for the spaces. Her daughter, in particular, was thrilled at the chance to work with an interior designer and help build her dream room, a small detail that speaks to how thoroughly this project became a family effort, not just a service delivered to one. That closeness shows up in the house itself. During Phase 1, the client asked everyone involved to sign the pony wall in the new kitchen. The Klopf team, the client, her kids, and the Keycon crew all left their names there, a permanent record of the people who built the house together. The Client said: “I am filled with joy and gratitude to be able to live in such a beautiful space and to have gotten the chance to work with such a talented team. The mark of true artistry is the attention to detail that allows one to experience the design in different ways. One might be looking at the same view, but because of the way the light moves, it’s a totally different perspective.” By the time the third phase wrapped, there was a running joke on site: nobody actually wanted the project to end, and the team half-seriously floated the idea of a "Phase 4." It's a fitting note for a project defined less by any single renovation than by five years of a family and their architects growing, quite literally, alongside one another. Klopf Architecture Team: John Klopf, AIA, Elise Webb, Yegvenia Torres-Zavala, Justine Alvarez, and Ekaterina Nesterova
Interior Design and FF&E: Klopf Architecture
Structural Engineer: BASE Design Inc.
Contractor: Keycon Inc.
Photography: ©2026 Mariko Reed
Year Completed: 2026
Location: Palo Alto, CA

Needing more space for their growing family, these young homeowners approached us to help them create an updated, larger home from their existing 1953 split-level. On the first floor, walls were removed to create an open concept kitchen and living room. A new dining room addition was constructed in the back, as well as a new tandem 2-car garage. A new second floor addition was created to include 2 bedrooms, a hall bathroom, a master bedroom suite, and a laundry room. On the exterior, a completely new, refreshed and updated look was achieved through the use of new siding, windows and roofing. By more than doubling the size of the existing home, the family is now ready to enjoy all of the space that they need.

Three Phases, One Family: Inside a Klopf Eichler Remodel When an executive mom and her two young children moved into their Eichler, she made a deliberate choice: to renovate the home in a way that honored, rather than erased, the qualities that make Eichlers distinctive in the first place. That decision set the tone for what would become a five-year, three-phase collaboration with architecture and interior design firm Klopf Architecture and general contractor Keycon, that touched nearly every room in the house and, along the way, turned a client-architect relationship into something closer. Living Through the Work Unlike many remodels where clients decamp to a rental during construction, this family stayed put through all three phases. That meant the Klopf team didn't just design the home, they watched it get lived in room by room in real time. Phase 1 covered the kitchen and living areas; by the time the team moved into later phases, they had already seen how the family actually used the spaces they'd designed earlier. That feedback loop and conversations with the client shaped the rest of the project directly. She said “throughout the various phases as they were completed, each day I noticed a new detail,” and shared her feedback with the design team. For instance, she loved the countertops chosen for the kitchen in Phase 1, so those same countertops appeared in the bathrooms designed in later phases. She loved the playful backsplash tile in the kitchen, so a similar sense of pattern and play carried into her bathroom in Phase 2 and a second bath in Phase 3. The result is a home where each phase speaks to the ones before it, rather than reading as a series of disconnected updates. Opening Up the Center of the House At the heart of the project was a reorganization of the home's most-used spaces. Klopf reclaimed a former dining area off the great room to build a larger kitchen, opening it directly onto the living space and freeing up room for the family to actually gather for reading, games, meals, TV, and the ordinary business of daily life with two kids and a dog. New floor-to-ceiling glass panels now connect the living space to the home's atrium, pulling light and views in from both directions, doubling down on the indoor-outdoor connection the style is known for. But more glass also meant less privacy, particularly at the entry, where a new wall of glass would otherwise open the courtyard directly to the street. Klopf's solution was a custom-designed slanted wood slat pivot gate at the front of the house: a piece that lets light filter through while blocking sight lines from passersby. It's a small architectural gesture that solves a real problem, creating privacy without sacrificing the light-filled openness the redesign was built around. Each of the children's bedrooms was custom-tailored to its occupant, a detail that mattered more with each passing year as the "young kids" in Phase 1 grew into the teenagers they became by the project's close. Five Years and Increased Capabilities A project of this length rarely survives with the same team intact, and this one didn't. Klopf’s original project leader left the firm part way through, but John Klopf and Elise Webb remained on the project from start to finish for continuity. Instead of shrinking, the Klopf team actually grew when their new interior design department was formed in 2024. The client was excited about Klopf’s new interiors capabilities, and welcomed Justine Alvarez and Ekaterina Nesterova on board to expand what had been an architectural scope into an architecture-plus-interiors effort. In the end Klopf handled the design from exterior envelope and layout down to the materials, colors, furnishings, décor, and finishing touches. What began as an architectural renovation ended up as something more comprehensive: a complete reimagining of the home's interiors as well as its bones, extending down to details as small as the containers on the bathroom counter. Carrying the Vision Through to the Furnishings Klopf's interior design department helped turn good architecture into a place a family actually lives. The interiors team worked closely with the client on furniture, fabrics, lighting, and accessories, sourcing and coordinating with makers and vendors in both the U.S. and Europe. The guiding idea was continuity: every piece needed to feel like it belonged in the house, not added to it. The custom counter stools are a good example. Intended to pick up on the cabinetry materials already in the kitchen, they were designed with carefully selected leather so the seating reads as part of the same architectural language. The sofa, rug, pillows, and other pieces followed the same logic, with material, color, and proportion all considered against the architecture they'd sit inside. Even the playful character of the bathroom tile found its way into the furnishings, translating into fun, playful accents in the textiles and finishes while staying period-appropriate to the Eichler itself. Benefitting from the feedback loop that shaped the architecture from phase to phase, the interiors team took cues from material and design decisions made in earlier phases when selecting the furnishings, so that the finished home reads as one continuous idea rather than a set of separate decisions layered on top of each other. That continuity came with its own hardships. A few months after furniture purchasing began, new tariffs took effect, affecting the overall furniture budget and adding complexity to ordering and expediting pieces. Developing custom furniture added a further layer of coordination on top of that: aligning fabric and leather samples and wood finishes with the architecture meant close, ongoing communication with makers throughout fabrication. With some pieces produced internationally, lead times, shipping, and customs all had to be carefully managed; in a few instances, that pushed the timeline out further still. In the end, the extra time was worth it: it's what allowed the team to get the materials and details right and keep the design cohesive throughout the home. A Relationship, Not Just a Project Ask the Klopf team what made this project unique, and the answer isn't really about square footage or finishes. It's about time. Over five years, the team got to know the family in a way a shorter project never allows — watching the kids head off to summer camp, meeting the foster kittens that passed through the house, getting to know the dog walker's daily routine. It became a professional relationship that was also a personal one. That closeness extended into the design process itself once the interiors team came on board. The client made a point of involving her kids in meetings about their own rooms, letting them weigh in on the vision and hopes they had for the spaces. Her daughter, in particular, was thrilled at the chance to work with an interior designer and help build her dream room, a small detail that speaks to how thoroughly this project became a family effort, not just a service delivered to one. That closeness shows up in the house itself. During Phase 1, the client asked everyone involved to sign the pony wall in the new kitchen. The Klopf team, the client, her kids, and the Keycon crew all left their names there, a permanent record of the people who built the house together. The Client said: “I am filled with joy and gratitude to be able to live in such a beautiful space and to have gotten the chance to work with such a talented team. The mark of true artistry is the attention to detail that allows one to experience the design in different ways. One might be looking at the same view, but because of the way the light moves, it’s a totally different perspective.” By the time the third phase wrapped, there was a running joke on site: nobody actually wanted the project to end, and the team half-seriously floated the idea of a "Phase 4." It's a fitting note for a project defined less by any single renovation than by five years of a family and their architects growing, quite literally, alongside one another. Klopf Architecture Team: John Klopf, AIA, Elise Webb, Yegvenia Torres-Zavala, Justine Alvarez, and Ekaterina Nesterova
Interior Design and FF&E: Klopf Architecture
Structural Engineer: BASE Design Inc.
Contractor: Keycon Inc.
Photography: ©2026 Mariko Reed
Year Completed: 2026
Location: Palo Alto, CA

Nestled in the hills of Orinda, California, this 1951 residence is one of only seven extant homes, now known as “The Magnificent Seven”, designed by architect Olof Dahlstrand, a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. With its low-slung rooflines, natural materials, and deep integration with the sloping landscape, the home is a pristine example of mid-century modern design inspired by Wright’s organic principles. Over the years, prior homeowners have emphasized preservation, ensuring that the house remained relatively untouched. Each owner has respected the original architecture and stayed true to Dahlstrand’s intent. When a family of five—two college-aged sons and a middle school-aged daughter—acquired the property, they were captivated by its history, legacy of care, and architectural significance. While they appreciated Dahlstrand’s original vision, they also recognized the need to adapt the home for contemporary living while preserving its design integrity. The remodel was conceived as a thoughtful response to the past—an effort to bring the house into the 21st century without compromising its soul. The primary mandate was to maintain architectural continuity while improving the functionality, comfort, and livability for a modern family. The design team—architects and contractor alike—worked with a shared reverence for the original architecture, allowing that mindset to guide even the most technical or pragmatic decisions. A key objective was to increase natural light in the kitchen—a departure from Wrightian principles of enclosed, intimate cooking spaces—while maintaining the home’s architectural language. The kitchen was reconfigured to foster a stronger connection to adjacent living spaces while retaining the underlying concept of spatial separation. One of the most transformative architectural changes was the removal of a ridge beam that was originally planned to remain visible through the kitchen. During construction, the team collaborated on a better solution: a wide-flanged steel beam concealed within the roof envelope. This subtle move preserved the clean lines and ceiling continuity, a modern update carried out with utmost respect for the existing framework. The home’s original powder room, previously accessible only through the kitchen, was relocated for better flow and privacy. A new powder room was carved out of former kitchen cabinetry—a narrow, interior space that could have felt dark and enclosed. To avoid this, the design extended the line of original transom windows into the new powder room and added a skylight above the vanity. The result is a bright and airy space that feels consistent with the rest of the home. Other updates included the installation of new solid-core interior doors with veneers carefully matched to the original mahogany, enhancing the continuity of the interiors. Even smaller decisions, such as placing the door knobs at 42 inches high, mirrored the original proportions. Every choice reflected a shared belief between the architect, contractor, and client: that new work should serve the integrity of the old. The home’s extensive interior redwood millwork and paneling was meticulously restored. Where new materials were introduced—such as the replacement redwood soffit paneling—the contractor took pains to find finish nails that matched the original, rather than using modern equivalents. This level of craftsmanship and collaboration defined the project. It extended even to the detailing of a blind door to the new powder room, which had to disappear into the existing redwood board-and-batten wall. It was a team effort: the owner found a suitable handle, the architects devised the custom in-swing mechanism, and the contractor executed it so the door aligned precisely with the battens. Throughout, the homeowners were deeply engaged in the design process. One, a meticulous design enthusiast, focused on aesthetic integrity and historic detail. The other brought a practical and function-driven perspective, ensuring that new fixtures and materials would be durable and require minimal maintenance. While the home’s location posed no major site challenges, sustainability was a key concern. The team upgraded the roof insulation, installed solar panels with battery storage, and added ductless mini-split cooling systems. Lighting was another area where modern technology was woven into a historic framework: new square LED fixtures echo the original custom perimeter soffit lights, maintaining the design language while offering advanced performance. A planned expansion of a bedroom into suite with a bathroom had to be shelved due to budget constraints and the high cost of below-grade foundation work. Still, the team focused their efforts on making the most of the existing footprint, resolving constraints through design ingenuity rather than adding square footage. This renovation represents a collaborative achievement in preserving and evolving a historically significant home. Every decision was shaped by a shared ethos among clients, architects, and contractor: to maintain the home’s architectural soul while updating it for contemporary life. The result is a timeless modernist residence that continues Olof Dahlstrand’s legacy, remaining grounded in nature, craftsmanship, and human-scale design. Klopf Architecture Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane, Fernanda Bernardes
Interior Architectural Design: Klopf Architecture
Structural Engineer: Daniel Bastiao
Contractor: Don Larwood, Larwood Construction Photography: Mariko Reed Year Completed: 2022

Three Phases, One Family: Inside a Klopf Eichler Remodel When an executive mom and her two young children moved into their Eichler, she made a deliberate choice: to renovate the home in a way that honored, rather than erased, the qualities that make Eichlers distinctive in the first place. That decision set the tone for what would become a five-year, three-phase collaboration with architecture and interior design firm Klopf Architecture and general contractor Keycon, that touched nearly every room in the house and, along the way, turned a client-architect relationship into something closer. Living Through the Work Unlike many remodels where clients decamp to a rental during construction, this family stayed put through all three phases. That meant the Klopf team didn't just design the home, they watched it get lived in room by room in real time. Phase 1 covered the kitchen and living areas; by the time the team moved into later phases, they had already seen how the family actually used the spaces they'd designed earlier. That feedback loop and conversations with the client shaped the rest of the project directly. She said “throughout the various phases as they were completed, each day I noticed a new detail,” and shared her feedback with the design team. For instance, she loved the countertops chosen for the kitchen in Phase 1, so those same countertops appeared in the bathrooms designed in later phases. She loved the playful backsplash tile in the kitchen, so a similar sense of pattern and play carried into her bathroom in Phase 2 and a second bath in Phase 3. The result is a home where each phase speaks to the ones before it, rather than reading as a series of disconnected updates. Opening Up the Center of the House At the heart of the project was a reorganization of the home's most-used spaces. Klopf reclaimed a former dining area off the great room to build a larger kitchen, opening it directly onto the living space and freeing up room for the family to actually gather for reading, games, meals, TV, and the ordinary business of daily life with two kids and a dog. New floor-to-ceiling glass panels now connect the living space to the home's atrium, pulling light and views in from both directions, doubling down on the indoor-outdoor connection the style is known for. But more glass also meant less privacy, particularly at the entry, where a new wall of glass would otherwise open the courtyard directly to the street. Klopf's solution was a custom-designed slanted wood slat pivot gate at the front of the house: a piece that lets light filter through while blocking sight lines from passersby. It's a small architectural gesture that solves a real problem, creating privacy without sacrificing the light-filled openness the redesign was built around. Each of the children's bedrooms was custom-tailored to its occupant, a detail that mattered more with each passing year as the "young kids" in Phase 1 grew into the teenagers they became by the project's close. Five Years and Increased Capabilities A project of this length rarely survives with the same team intact, and this one didn't. Klopf’s original project leader left the firm part way through, but John Klopf and Elise Webb remained on the project from start to finish for continuity. Instead of shrinking, the Klopf team actually grew when their new interior design department was formed in 2024. The client was excited about Klopf’s new interiors capabilities, and welcomed Justine Alvarez and Ekaterina Nesterova on board to expand what had been an architectural scope into an architecture-plus-interiors effort. In the end Klopf handled the design from exterior envelope and layout down to the materials, colors, furnishings, décor, and finishing touches. What began as an architectural renovation ended up as something more comprehensive: a complete reimagining of the home's interiors as well as its bones, extending down to details as small as the containers on the bathroom counter. Carrying the Vision Through to the Furnishings Klopf's interior design department helped turn good architecture into a place a family actually lives. The interiors team worked closely with the client on furniture, fabrics, lighting, and accessories, sourcing and coordinating with makers and vendors in both the U.S. and Europe. The guiding idea was continuity: every piece needed to feel like it belonged in the house, not added to it. The custom counter stools are a good example. Intended to pick up on the cabinetry materials already in the kitchen, they were designed with carefully selected leather so the seating reads as part of the same architectural language. The sofa, rug, pillows, and other pieces followed the same logic, with material, color, and proportion all considered against the architecture they'd sit inside. Even the playful character of the bathroom tile found its way into the furnishings, translating into fun, playful accents in the textiles and finishes while staying period-appropriate to the Eichler itself. Benefitting from the feedback loop that shaped the architecture from phase to phase, the interiors team took cues from material and design decisions made in earlier phases when selecting the furnishings, so that the finished home reads as one continuous idea rather than a set of separate decisions layered on top of each other. That continuity came with its own hardships. A few months after furniture purchasing began, new tariffs took effect, affecting the overall furniture budget and adding complexity to ordering and expediting pieces. Developing custom furniture added a further layer of coordination on top of that: aligning fabric and leather samples and wood finishes with the architecture meant close, ongoing communication with makers throughout fabrication. With some pieces produced internationally, lead times, shipping, and customs all had to be carefully managed; in a few instances, that pushed the timeline out further still. In the end, the extra time was worth it: it's what allowed the team to get the materials and details right and keep the design cohesive throughout the home. A Relationship, Not Just a Project Ask the Klopf team what made this project unique, and the answer isn't really about square footage or finishes. It's about time. Over five years, the team got to know the family in a way a shorter project never allows — watching the kids head off to summer camp, meeting the foster kittens that passed through the house, getting to know the dog walker's daily routine. It became a professional relationship that was also a personal one. That closeness extended into the design process itself once the interiors team came on board. The client made a point of involving her kids in meetings about their own rooms, letting them weigh in on the vision and hopes they had for the spaces. Her daughter, in particular, was thrilled at the chance to work with an interior designer and help build her dream room, a small detail that speaks to how thoroughly this project became a family effort, not just a service delivered to one. That closeness shows up in the house itself. During Phase 1, the client asked everyone involved to sign the pony wall in the new kitchen. The Klopf team, the client, her kids, and the Keycon crew all left their names there, a permanent record of the people who built the house together. The Client said: “I am filled with joy and gratitude to be able to live in such a beautiful space and to have gotten the chance to work with such a talented team. The mark of true artistry is the attention to detail that allows one to experience the design in different ways. One might be looking at the same view, but because of the way the light moves, it’s a totally different perspective.” By the time the third phase wrapped, there was a running joke on site: nobody actually wanted the project to end, and the team half-seriously floated the idea of a "Phase 4." It's a fitting note for a project defined less by any single renovation than by five years of a family and their architects growing, quite literally, alongside one another. Klopf Architecture Team: John Klopf, AIA, Elise Webb, Yegvenia Torres-Zavala, Justine Alvarez, and Ekaterina Nesterova
Interior Design and FF&E: Klopf Architecture
Structural Engineer: BASE Design Inc.
Contractor: Keycon Inc.
Photography: ©2026 Mariko Reed
Year Completed: 2026
Location: Palo Alto, CA

Three Phases, One Family: Inside a Klopf Eichler Remodel When an executive mom and her two young children moved into their Eichler, she made a deliberate choice: to renovate the home in a way that honored, rather than erased, the qualities that make Eichlers distinctive in the first place. That decision set the tone for what would become a five-year, three-phase collaboration with architecture and interior design firm Klopf Architecture and general contractor Keycon, that touched nearly every room in the house and, along the way, turned a client-architect relationship into something closer. Living Through the Work Unlike many remodels where clients decamp to a rental during construction, this family stayed put through all three phases. That meant the Klopf team didn't just design the home, they watched it get lived in room by room in real time. Phase 1 covered the kitchen and living areas; by the time the team moved into later phases, they had already seen how the family actually used the spaces they'd designed earlier. That feedback loop and conversations with the client shaped the rest of the project directly. She said “throughout the various phases as they were completed, each day I noticed a new detail,” and shared her feedback with the design team. For instance, she loved the countertops chosen for the kitchen in Phase 1, so those same countertops appeared in the bathrooms designed in later phases. She loved the playful backsplash tile in the kitchen, so a similar sense of pattern and play carried into her bathroom in Phase 2 and a second bath in Phase 3. The result is a home where each phase speaks to the ones before it, rather than reading as a series of disconnected updates. Opening Up the Center of the House At the heart of the project was a reorganization of the home's most-used spaces. Klopf reclaimed a former dining area off the great room to build a larger kitchen, opening it directly onto the living space and freeing up room for the family to actually gather for reading, games, meals, TV, and the ordinary business of daily life with two kids and a dog. New floor-to-ceiling glass panels now connect the living space to the home's atrium, pulling light and views in from both directions, doubling down on the indoor-outdoor connection the style is known for. But more glass also meant less privacy, particularly at the entry, where a new wall of glass would otherwise open the courtyard directly to the street. Klopf's solution was a custom-designed slanted wood slat pivot gate at the front of the house: a piece that lets light filter through while blocking sight lines from passersby. It's a small architectural gesture that solves a real problem, creating privacy without sacrificing the light-filled openness the redesign was built around. Each of the children's bedrooms was custom-tailored to its occupant, a detail that mattered more with each passing year as the "young kids" in Phase 1 grew into the teenagers they became by the project's close. Five Years and Increased Capabilities A project of this length rarely survives with the same team intact, and this one didn't. Klopf’s original project leader left the firm part way through, but John Klopf and Elise Webb remained on the project from start to finish for continuity. Instead of shrinking, the Klopf team actually grew when their new interior design department was formed in 2024. The client was excited about Klopf’s new interiors capabilities, and welcomed Justine Alvarez and Ekaterina Nesterova on board to expand what had been an architectural scope into an architecture-plus-interiors effort. In the end Klopf handled the design from exterior envelope and layout down to the materials, colors, furnishings, décor, and finishing touches. What began as an architectural renovation ended up as something more comprehensive: a complete reimagining of the home's interiors as well as its bones, extending down to details as small as the containers on the bathroom counter. Carrying the Vision Through to the Furnishings Klopf's interior design department helped turn good architecture into a place a family actually lives. The interiors team worked closely with the client on furniture, fabrics, lighting, and accessories, sourcing and coordinating with makers and vendors in both the U.S. and Europe. The guiding idea was continuity: every piece needed to feel like it belonged in the house, not added to it. The custom counter stools are a good example. Intended to pick up on the cabinetry materials already in the kitchen, they were designed with carefully selected leather so the seating reads as part of the same architectural language. The sofa, rug, pillows, and other pieces followed the same logic, with material, color, and proportion all considered against the architecture they'd sit inside. Even the playful character of the bathroom tile found its way into the furnishings, translating into fun, playful accents in the textiles and finishes while staying period-appropriate to the Eichler itself. Benefitting from the feedback loop that shaped the architecture from phase to phase, the interiors team took cues from material and design decisions made in earlier phases when selecting the furnishings, so that the finished home reads as one continuous idea rather than a set of separate decisions layered on top of each other. That continuity came with its own hardships. A few months after furniture purchasing began, new tariffs took effect, affecting the overall furniture budget and adding complexity to ordering and expediting pieces. Developing custom furniture added a further layer of coordination on top of that: aligning fabric and leather samples and wood finishes with the architecture meant close, ongoing communication with makers throughout fabrication. With some pieces produced internationally, lead times, shipping, and customs all had to be carefully managed; in a few instances, that pushed the timeline out further still. In the end, the extra time was worth it: it's what allowed the team to get the materials and details right and keep the design cohesive throughout the home. A Relationship, Not Just a Project Ask the Klopf team what made this project unique, and the answer isn't really about square footage or finishes. It's about time. Over five years, the team got to know the family in a way a shorter project never allows — watching the kids head off to summer camp, meeting the foster kittens that passed through the house, getting to know the dog walker's daily routine. It became a professional relationship that was also a personal one. That closeness extended into the design process itself once the interiors team came on board. The client made a point of involving her kids in meetings about their own rooms, letting them weigh in on the vision and hopes they had for the spaces. Her daughter, in particular, was thrilled at the chance to work with an interior designer and help build her dream room, a small detail that speaks to how thoroughly this project became a family effort, not just a service delivered to one. That closeness shows up in the house itself. During Phase 1, the client asked everyone involved to sign the pony wall in the new kitchen. The Klopf team, the client, her kids, and the Keycon crew all left their names there, a permanent record of the people who built the house together. The Client said: “I am filled with joy and gratitude to be able to live in such a beautiful space and to have gotten the chance to work with such a talented team. The mark of true artistry is the attention to detail that allows one to experience the design in different ways. One might be looking at the same view, but because of the way the light moves, it’s a totally different perspective.” By the time the third phase wrapped, there was a running joke on site: nobody actually wanted the project to end, and the team half-seriously floated the idea of a "Phase 4." It's a fitting note for a project defined less by any single renovation than by five years of a family and their architects growing, quite literally, alongside one another. Klopf Architecture Team: John Klopf, AIA, Elise Webb, Yegvenia Torres-Zavala, Justine Alvarez, and Ekaterina Nesterova
Interior Design and FF&E: Klopf Architecture
Structural Engineer: BASE Design Inc.
Contractor: Keycon Inc.
Photography: ©2026 Mariko Reed
Year Completed: 2026
Location: Palo Alto, CA

Three Phases, One Family: Inside a Klopf Eichler Remodel When an executive mom and her two young children moved into their Eichler, she made a deliberate choice: to renovate the home in a way that honored, rather than erased, the qualities that make Eichlers distinctive in the first place. That decision set the tone for what would become a five-year, three-phase collaboration with architecture and interior design firm Klopf Architecture and general contractor Keycon, that touched nearly every room in the house and, along the way, turned a client-architect relationship into something closer. Living Through the Work Unlike many remodels where clients decamp to a rental during construction, this family stayed put through all three phases. That meant the Klopf team didn't just design the home, they watched it get lived in room by room in real time. Phase 1 covered the kitchen and living areas; by the time the team moved into later phases, they had already seen how the family actually used the spaces they'd designed earlier. That feedback loop and conversations with the client shaped the rest of the project directly. She said “throughout the various phases as they were completed, each day I noticed a new detail,” and shared her feedback with the design team. For instance, she loved the countertops chosen for the kitchen in Phase 1, so those same countertops appeared in the bathrooms designed in later phases. She loved the playful backsplash tile in the kitchen, so a similar sense of pattern and play carried into her bathroom in Phase 2 and a second bath in Phase 3. The result is a home where each phase speaks to the ones before it, rather than reading as a series of disconnected updates. Opening Up the Center of the House At the heart of the project was a reorganization of the home's most-used spaces. Klopf reclaimed a former dining area off the great room to build a larger kitchen, opening it directly onto the living space and freeing up room for the family to actually gather for reading, games, meals, TV, and the ordinary business of daily life with two kids and a dog. New floor-to-ceiling glass panels now connect the living space to the home's atrium, pulling light and views in from both directions, doubling down on the indoor-outdoor connection the style is known for. But more glass also meant less privacy, particularly at the entry, where a new wall of glass would otherwise open the courtyard directly to the street. Klopf's solution was a custom-designed slanted wood slat pivot gate at the front of the house: a piece that lets light filter through while blocking sight lines from passersby. It's a small architectural gesture that solves a real problem, creating privacy without sacrificing the light-filled openness the redesign was built around. Each of the children's bedrooms was custom-tailored to its occupant, a detail that mattered more with each passing year as the "young kids" in Phase 1 grew into the teenagers they became by the project's close. Five Years and Increased Capabilities A project of this length rarely survives with the same team intact, and this one didn't. Klopf’s original project leader left the firm part way through, but John Klopf and Elise Webb remained on the project from start to finish for continuity. Instead of shrinking, the Klopf team actually grew when their new interior design department was formed in 2024. The client was excited about Klopf’s new interiors capabilities, and welcomed Justine Alvarez and Ekaterina Nesterova on board to expand what had been an architectural scope into an architecture-plus-interiors effort. In the end Klopf handled the design from exterior envelope and layout down to the materials, colors, furnishings, décor, and finishing touches. What began as an architectural renovation ended up as something more comprehensive: a complete reimagining of the home's interiors as well as its bones, extending down to details as small as the containers on the bathroom counter. Carrying the Vision Through to the Furnishings Klopf's interior design department helped turn good architecture into a place a family actually lives. The interiors team worked closely with the client on furniture, fabrics, lighting, and accessories, sourcing and coordinating with makers and vendors in both the U.S. and Europe. The guiding idea was continuity: every piece needed to feel like it belonged in the house, not added to it. The custom counter stools are a good example. Intended to pick up on the cabinetry materials already in the kitchen, they were designed with carefully selected leather so the seating reads as part of the same architectural language. The sofa, rug, pillows, and other pieces followed the same logic, with material, color, and proportion all considered against the architecture they'd sit inside. Even the playful character of the bathroom tile found its way into the furnishings, translating into fun, playful accents in the textiles and finishes while staying period-appropriate to the Eichler itself. Benefitting from the feedback loop that shaped the architecture from phase to phase, the interiors team took cues from material and design decisions made in earlier phases when selecting the furnishings, so that the finished home reads as one continuous idea rather than a set of separate decisions layered on top of each other. That continuity came with its own hardships. A few months after furniture purchasing began, new tariffs took effect, affecting the overall furniture budget and adding complexity to ordering and expediting pieces. Developing custom furniture added a further layer of coordination on top of that: aligning fabric and leather samples and wood finishes with the architecture meant close, ongoing communication with makers throughout fabrication. With some pieces produced internationally, lead times, shipping, and customs all had to be carefully managed; in a few instances, that pushed the timeline out further still. In the end, the extra time was worth it: it's what allowed the team to get the materials and details right and keep the design cohesive throughout the home. A Relationship, Not Just a Project Ask the Klopf team what made this project unique, and the answer isn't really about square footage or finishes. It's about time. Over five years, the team got to know the family in a way a shorter project never allows — watching the kids head off to summer camp, meeting the foster kittens that passed through the house, getting to know the dog walker's daily routine. It became a professional relationship that was also a personal one. That closeness extended into the design process itself once the interiors team came on board. The client made a point of involving her kids in meetings about their own rooms, letting them weigh in on the vision and hopes they had for the spaces. Her daughter, in particular, was thrilled at the chance to work with an interior designer and help build her dream room, a small detail that speaks to how thoroughly this project became a family effort, not just a service delivered to one. That closeness shows up in the house itself. During Phase 1, the client asked everyone involved to sign the pony wall in the new kitchen. The Klopf team, the client, her kids, and the Keycon crew all left their names there, a permanent record of the people who built the house together. The Client said: “I am filled with joy and gratitude to be able to live in such a beautiful space and to have gotten the chance to work with such a talented team. The mark of true artistry is the attention to detail that allows one to experience the design in different ways. One might be looking at the same view, but because of the way the light moves, it’s a totally different perspective.” By the time the third phase wrapped, there was a running joke on site: nobody actually wanted the project to end, and the team half-seriously floated the idea of a "Phase 4." It's a fitting note for a project defined less by any single renovation than by five years of a family and their architects growing, quite literally, alongside one another. Klopf Architecture Team: John Klopf, AIA, Elise Webb, Yegvenia Torres-Zavala, Justine Alvarez, and Ekaterina Nesterova
Interior Design and FF&E: Klopf Architecture
Structural Engineer: BASE Design Inc.
Contractor: Keycon Inc.
Photography: ©2026 Mariko Reed
Year Completed: 2026
Location: Palo Alto, CA