The new owners of this 1951 Joseph Eichler home wanted an open and flowing, artistically designed house. To heighten the indoor-outdoor connection beyond Eichler’s prescient “California Modern” style, Klopf Architecture integrated a steel moment frame into the back side of the house to render it completely open to the outside. Here, a large, multipanel sliding-door system spans the full width of the main living spaces.

The kitchen, relocated adjacent to the new door system, flows into a spacious great room overlooking new landscaping. By enclosing a portion of the existing open-air courtyard, that space was reconfigured into a hallway and a light-filled atrium that feels like it’s part of the house rather than just an entryway. Large-format floor tile extends the living spaces out onto patios at the atrium and rear yard, further softening the boundary between interior and exterior.

A new addition at the rear of the house comprises the primary suite—whose bath has a wet room, a double white-oak vanity, and a freestanding tub—plus an expanded bedroom and a laundry room. A large full-height, full-width window brings light into that space. Simple, sophisticated materials, largely organic and in a neutral palette, lend a European touch to the interiors, which include sleek Italian cabinetry. Cleverly installed uplighting preserves the expanse of wood cladding the ceiling, which is original and painted white to lift it in a way the original gray stain didn’t.

Architect John Klopf, AIA; Ethan Taylor; and Fernanda Bernardes; Klopf Architecture; klopfarchitecture.com
Builder Starburst Construction, starburstconstruction.com
Interior design Lucile Glessner, lucileglessnerdesign.com
Location Silicon Valley, Calif.
Photos Mariko Reed

Fine Homebuilding #317

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