I’ve never seen one of these before, and then I saw two! Similar, but slightly different variations.
Posted in Found Objects | Tagged carved post, carving, decks and railings, details, finial, Massachusetts, octadecahedon, post, tetradecahedron, whimsy, wood | Leave a Comment »
It was hot and smoky outside last week in NYC so we visited the Frick and had late lunch in the Westmorland Cafe. It is a nicely designed space with a beautiful landscape mural around the top of the wall, patinated mirror wall tiles, pretty translucent curtains, and other nice details.
Posted in Found Objects | Tagged botanical, Cafe, curtains, Frick, lighting design, mirrors, misty, murals, NYC, portiere, whimsey | Leave a Comment »
This project was completed in 2007 as a volunteer project for TISC, a community boating program on Treasure island.
They needed a place for the students to change into sailing clothing and the budget was tight.
They had these old concrete block walls and asked if I could turn them into changing rooms.
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged arch, curved gluelam beams, process, small buildings, Treasure Island, value, volunteer, whimsy, woven | Leave a Comment »
This was a very typical job here in Berkeley. So many older houses have strange, bad additions at the back of the house. Perhaps when they were built people still had garbage dumps in their backyards and had no interest in connecting their living space to the yard. These guys had a badly built 1950s era closet tacked on to the back of their kitchen that contained the laundry and a bunch of other stuff. We moved the laundry and all the storage to the middle of the house and moved the kitchen to the back, adding a dining nook and a half bath and a very small extension to the back bedroom.
The owner is still finishing up details like the nook and the pantry so I will hopefully have one more update on this project.
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged Berkeley, chicago faucet, green, harvest, heat pump hot water heater, houses, John Mcbride, kitchen, McBride Construction, natural stone counters, process, remodel, salvaged fir, sanco2, skylight, small buildings, small houses, stone countertops, wood | Leave a Comment »
I am finally getting around to sharing the photos of this recent 440 SF Accessory Dwelling Unit. It is an unusual shape due to many constraints including preserving the bay views from the main house, and preserving as much garden as possible. It is also located on an active landslide and in a wildland -urban interface with strict wild fire safety provisions.
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged accessory dwelling unit, ADU, Berkeley, Berkeley Hills, bright colors, cabinets, colors, coral green, cottage, fir, Limeplaster, small bathroom, small buildings, wildfire, wood | 2 Comments »
I was looking for these photos of an inspiring architectural tour…old phone photos, but such a cool spot. We’ve done a few monster beam ends inspired by these.
Posted in Found Objects | Tagged animal beam ends, eyes on beams, Faculty Club, Maybeck, monster beam ends, nostrils, teeth, wood | Leave a Comment »
We have been busy with all sorts of great projects the last few months. Here are a few snapshots.
Mudroom Bench – Very similar to one we did 10 years ago, but customized to perfectly fit the new space: narrower on one wall than the other. The lid is solid ash and the rest is painted. I need to get some photos of the blue interior. Thanks to Kelly Best and McBride Construction for the excellent craftsmanship.
The slab was poured and beautiful saw cut control joints added. Now the structural framing is underway. The tolerances are very tight in these small living spaces. Every inch matters. I was delighted to discover that the concrete work and framing has resulted in walls that match my drawings to the 1/16 inch.
Finally did a photoshoot at a recently finished Accessory Dwelling Unit in the Berkeley Hills. Below you will see the photographer, Lenny Gonzalez, and the photoshoot models Eowyn & John.
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged Accessory Dwelling Units, Berkeley, bright colors, cabinets, color, details, Emeryville, energy efficiency, framing, Limeplaster, process, skylight, small buildings | Leave a Comment »
This place had been on my list for a while and I finally got a chance to check it out. One man, Baldassare Forestiere, tunneled in and under the hardpan on his property for many acres to create rooms and gardens of fruit trees and vines. The earth and the shade moderates the wide temperature swings of the Central Valley, allowing Baldassare to grow plants that normally couldn’t grow in that location. His underground rooms stayed comfortable as well. I cant write more but here it a link to the Website for more info.
Posted in Information | Tagged earthen floor, Forestiere, Fresno, garden, hardpan, houses, tunneling, underground, whimsy | 1 Comment »
This 2016 remodel recently sold. I was shocked by the selling price. The realtor was kind enough to share her photos. We remodeled the back of the house and the second floor to better connect to the yard and the south light. She also hired Shawn Lovell to build a very special staircase.
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged bathroom, Berkeley, botanical, houses, interior window, metal, natural light, Oak, passive solar, remodel, stairway, Vanity, winter sun | Leave a Comment »
This ADU is 160 SF. Backyard is small and client chose not to move the ADU to 4′ setbacks and enlarge because it would make the usable yard even smaller. It was quite challenging to fit all the Accessory Dwelling Unit requirements in such a tiny space. We got the redwood shakes from Humboldt county, Doors are Blomberg and the high performance skylights have exterior shades.
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged accessory dwelling unit, ADU, barn shakes, Berkeley, curbless shower, redwood, small buildings, wood | Leave a Comment »
This project was completed a a few years ago, but I realized I never posted any finished photos because I was waiting for the landscaping and an interior sliding screen between office and living room. I think it’s done now and I hope to stop by soon to see it.
John and I both would love to build more strawbale structures. The thick walls (In this case 24″ thick, but 18″ is common) are really great architecturally and the inside is so quiet and well insulated. It is wonderful to use a natural material that is an agricultural waste product to insulate. Lime plastered strawbale buildings are also very fire resistant.
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged accessory dwelling unit, ADU, Berkeley, clay plaster, cottage, curves, fire resistant construction, green building, light, Lime Plaster, straw, Strawbale, thick walls, tiny house | Leave a Comment »
My client for a remodel of a 1960s house on Galiano Island invited my family up to see the almost finished house. (a few details and exterior paint not finished yet)
The location is truly spectacular and I was very happy with the improvements that we made. Improvements included: on the practical side: tightening up the exterior envelope (including new fibercement rainscreen siding, all new windows, & insulation), upgrading to an energy efficient heating system, and adding a HRV, and then rearranging the interior extensively to simplifying and improve the transitions between spaces. The lower level was majorly improved, but it was a pretty straight forward rearrangement breaking it up into more usable rooms, guest suite, familyroom, office and storage. I didn’t include those photos.
The main event is the view to the south to Active Pass and all the way to the Olympic National Park 70 miles to the south. We spent many hours enjoying the view of wildlife and boats from the covered porch.
You can see some before shots of the house here.
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged British COlumbia, clean lines, color, fir, Galiano Island, green, green building, houses, Kable lighting, kitchen, lighting design, modern, paperstone, passive solar, remodel, simplify, steel, tile, wood | Leave a Comment »
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