Architecture
Glulam beams are up at Inverness Way Residence
The vaulted ceiling over this living, dining, and kitchen will be white, but these dropped glulam beams will be stained to add warmth to the room. We are also excited about the two ridge skylights that will span across these beams. More soon!
Plan Diagrams
We are currently studying diagrams at the office - this one of the Middlefield Road Residence is particularly sweet, because it shows the towering Coast Live Oak trees surrounding the property. The gray hatch in the courtyard is the discreet stair addition we added to reach the new second floor. The stair looks like this from the outside:
And from the inside, the second floor feels like a tree house among the oak trees:
The goal with a diagram is to convey the same idea as the experience of that space... It's a challenging but exciting exercise.
Breaking Ground at Inverness Way Residence
Demolition is under way at the Inverness Way Residence in Sunnyvale. The existing ranch-style home is down to studs! The new home will have a larger, open living/dining/kitchen area, which we expect to be the hub of activity for our clients. The front of the house will get a new entrance and library/guest room; the rear addition is a master suite that faces the back yard and patio. We're so excited to see this project take shape.
Framing is up at the Mezes Avenue Residence
It's always fascinating how the addition feels small when the foundation is poured, but then feels big again when the framing goes up.
Collaborations: Phill Buehrig, Built-In Cabinetry
Chris Brooks of CB Builders first introduced us to his go-to cabinetmaker, Phill Buehrig of Built-In Cabinetry, when we worked together on the Middlefield Road Residence. From the start, we knew we liked Phill: he understood our design intent, had amazing attention to detail, AND draws by hand. (What's not to like?) And here is what showed up in the Play Room:
We were floored when we saw the actual cabinets - they are nothing short of works of art. Beautifully bookmatched veneers, crisp edges and an overall richness. Phill also made the custom walnut handrail to our specifications, which perfectly matched the cabinets. This particular project was peppered with artisanal details, and Chris, the general contractor, did an amazing job orchestrating his subcontractors. And Phill's cabinets, as well as his hands-on process, were an integral part of brining our vision to reality.
So needless to say, we were thrilled to work with Phill again on the Kitchen, Living Room, and Bathroom cabinets for the Ramona Street Residence. This project was a full interior remodel (with Chris at the helm), and the beautiful cabinets are part of what ties the whole house together.
Sometimes we almost feel like keeping artisans like Phill our "best kept secret", but his craft is too good to keep to ourselves - it needs to be shared with everyone. Phill can be reached at 831-475-2330, or at phill(at)built-in-cabinetry.com
Construction begins at Mezes Avenue Residence
Foundation formwork for the master suite addition is underway. It was a lot of fun to work with the language of the original home, which is a nice mix of midcentury bones and farm house details. The remodel and addition will improve on the house by providing higher ceilings, more natural light, and a lot more breathing room for the family.
We are looking forward to seeing it all take shape!
Middlefield Road Residence Photos by Cesar Rubio - sneak peek!
We just received our final images of the Middlefield Road Residence project from Cesar Rubio, and we're thrilled with how they came out. Here is a sneak peek - more images will be avialable on our website soon!
Boston Avenue Residence in Fine Homebuilding Magazine
It's out! The printed edition of the Houses issue of Fine Homebuilding is on newsstands today, and features a photo from our Boston Avenue Residence project. Thanks again to Lincoln Barbour, our photographer for the project, and the one who pitched the photo for the article!
Middlefield Residence Photo Shoot
We just finished photographing our Middlefield Residence project with Cesar Rubio, one of our favorite photographers.
It was an intense day of shooting, and a very successful one.
We previously worked with Cesar to photograph the Waverley Street Residences. We appreciate his intuition for great shots - he often suggests angles that we never would have imagined on our own.
Special thanks to the homeowners, who provided us full access to their beautiful home. The owners have an impressive art collection, and it was a pleasure to work in such a well-curated space.
We look forward to sharing the final photos with you soon!
Featured on Houzz: The Allure of Warm and Tasteful Accent Tiles in Kitchens
A new Houzz article in Japanese features our Neilson Street Residence kitchen. We've always loved the use of red accent tiles (complimented by red Caravaggio pendant cords) in this kitchen, and it's nice to know that others like it, too.
We've recently been featured in numerous Houzz articles in different langauges, but this one Hiromi can actually read! The caption states: "This kitchen uses red mosaic tile as an accent. Red is a common food color, like tomatoes and other fruit, and is also called a "kitchen color". If you want your kitchen to feel lively and active, the effect of red tile is tremendous."
We couldn't agree more!