Laidley
Skill: inside-out
Valley
Douglass Park
A huge amount of volume and light were freed from this compartmentalized 1970’s house. The main living space is a long rectangle that stretches from a front deck overlooking cypresses to a two level patio with a view of the bay. a light monitor illuminates the center dining area and adds to the subtle variety of ceiling heights. In the kitchen, custom oak cabinets wrap around a marble and stainless steel island with a section of glass floor revealing a wine cellar below. A small bath and closet combined to become a spa bathroom with Japanese soaking tub. The exterior was reinvented with new materials in a charcoal palette; Shou Sugi Ban siding, bronze anodized windows, Resibond sheet metal, and Hardiplank siding.
Brick House 1908
Originally a laundry boiler room, the brick house is now a full service guest apartment. The ground floor is 8′-2″ x 11′-6″; approximately 93sf. It hosts a full kitchen, living room with couch and coffee table or dining table, and fold out cushions for a lounge chair on the stair landing. Up the ships’ ladder is a mezzanine dressing area with built-in walnut wardrobe and drawers. a 42″ square bath has a wall mount toilet, custom stainless steel medicine cabinet, small sink supplied by a shower valve, and floor drain for showering. a sandblasted door and window keep it light and spacious. A tread and a glass landing lead to the bed loft with queen mattress, storage in hinged headboards, bookshelves, and reading lamps.
Grass Valley
Connection to the outdoors was a driving ideal on this 5 acre lot in Grass Valley. The living and bedroom spaces have south and eastern exposures to the rolling landscape with utility spaces and connected carport located in the north west. The structure is a rural typology executed in commercial materials; light gauge metal and insulated metal panels. The panels provide an interior and exterior finish, vapor barrier, and high R insulation. Assembly is quick, their spanning capacity high, and they are excellent in wildfire areas. The structure is exposed on the interior. Concrete floors complement white walls and a stainless steel and oak kitchen.
Clipper
Remodel of a 1952 hillside house in Noe Valley. Originally 2 bedrooms, one bath, and a laundry room on 5 disparate levels, this house now has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths radiating from a central staircase; all within the existing envelope. Compact baths become generous with custom cabinets and high ceilings. Designer clients supplemented Ikea kitchen cabinets with Ceasarstone counters and reclaimed wood shelves.
Carriage House
Conversion of a 1908 carriage house into an apartment, with the former hayloft becoming a 380 sq ft living space. The simple, yet dynamic interior roofline is highlighted by wood siding painted bright white. Services tucked under a dormer include an etched glass shower enclosure, recycled bead board toilet cabinet, and a compact kitchen. Storage and art studio are behind barn doors below.
