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Site
A two story house on a
hillside in Bernal Heights, San Francisco
Clients
When we started this
project, Candice and Russell were expecting their
first baby in three-and-a-half months! They needed
a second bedroom close to the master bedroom to
start out as a nursery and become their daughter's
bedroom.
Program
The first and second floor plans seemed to be
swapped for this house. The upstairs plan would
be much better for the public spaces, while the
first floor plan would accomodate bedrooms. Reverse
this condition so that the downstairs flows through
open spaces. Use the upstairs space efficiently
to fit three bedrooms and a bathroom.
Exploration
How can we subdivide an open upstairs, with its
currently great natural light, into three bedrooms,
providing privacy without sacrificing the feeling
of large spaces? If we convert the downstairs
to an open plan, how can we delineate areas so
that the space works in terms of flow and a feeling
of openness, and as a functional house for a couple
expecting small children.
Solution
Sensible Layout:
The clients had a lot of floor space, but
much of it wasn't usable. They were faced with
a bathroom too small to use, a dressing area too
poorly planned to function, and an overly large
master bedroom. We turned a one-bedroom, one-bath
floor into a two-bedroom, one-bath floor without
hallways and wasted space.
Translucent
filters:
Instead of closing spaces off with walls and opening
them to the outside with clear windows, there
are places in this house where translucent panels
can provide privacy while still allowing connection
from room to room and to the outside.
Nooks:
The kitchen, which is currently a hallway, becomes
a U-shaped room in which parents can work in peace,
while still being in the same room as their kids.
When entertaining, the island becomes a central
buffet around which people can circulate. The
kitchen, dining, and living areas make up one
large space with private corners.
Contractor
Jon Cooke of Renaissance
Man Construction 650.290.0620
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