Houzz Tour: From Cookie-Cutter Look to Modern Family Home
A dated Northern California house gets streamlined and updated inside and out
Alyson Sinclair and David Lazerwitz first considered building a new home to get an open, indoor-outdoor, family-friendly home that would make life easier for their special-needs son. Instead, they found an existing house on a large lot with a lot of potential.
The issues? The home style and garden were too traditional and cottage-like for their modernist tastes, and the interior felt to them like a time capsule not worth revisiting. For help with the architecture and landscape, they turned to Yamamar Design and Studio Green, respectively.
The issues? The home style and garden were too traditional and cottage-like for their modernist tastes, and the interior felt to them like a time capsule not worth revisiting. For help with the architecture and landscape, they turned to Yamamar Design and Studio Green, respectively.
AFTER: Working with Peter Harris Construction, Soo Hoo kept the home’s volumes intact but cleaned up the elevation by squaring off the rooflines and replacing the windows. “We opted for a box-like scheme that got rid of the gables,” Soo Hoo says. “It made the house simple and modern.”
Windows and doors: Fleetwood Windows & Doors
Windows and doors: Fleetwood Windows & Doors
BEFORE: The existing entry was set under a fussy, lattice-like gable that provided little shade and no rain protection. The homeowners also felt the wood door wasn’t their style.
AFTER: Soo Hoo’s design of the new entry includes a sheltering, overhanging roof that floats on steel columns and a pivoting glass entry door that adds daylight into the interior.
Landscape architect John Merten, principal of Studio Green, worked in concert with the updated architecture to reiterate the horizontal lines and modern style in the half-acre property’s garden design.
At the entry, he removed the original brick and concrete paving to raise the entry so it’s flush with the house. This created an entry sequence of wide concrete steps that lead from the driveway and free-standing garage to the front door.
Merten designed the new cedar-topped concrete bench by the front door, which is a convenient place to sit for a spell. The steps terminate in another cedar bench, which borders new drought-tolerant plantings of grasses and shrubs.
“We did the plantings in a graphic, geometric pattern,” Merten says. “It echoes the block forms of the house.”
At the entry, he removed the original brick and concrete paving to raise the entry so it’s flush with the house. This created an entry sequence of wide concrete steps that lead from the driveway and free-standing garage to the front door.
Merten designed the new cedar-topped concrete bench by the front door, which is a convenient place to sit for a spell. The steps terminate in another cedar bench, which borders new drought-tolerant plantings of grasses and shrubs.
“We did the plantings in a graphic, geometric pattern,” Merten says. “It echoes the block forms of the house.”
The exterior siding was replaced not only for aesthetic reasons, but for safety concerns as well. “The house is in a wildland-urban interface zone,” Soo Hoo says. “That means property could be at risk for wildfires, so that was a consideration in our choices for exterior materials.”
Two of the larger sections were clad in sturdy fiber cement board, painted a pale gray hue. The center section was clad in fire-rated red cedar siding.
Fiber cement siding: James Hardie Building Products
Two of the larger sections were clad in sturdy fiber cement board, painted a pale gray hue. The center section was clad in fire-rated red cedar siding.
Fiber cement siding: James Hardie Building Products
The property includes many mature oaks and maples, such as the one seen here between the free-standing garage and the entry. The trees were carefully preserved during the renovation process.
Merten used grasses to soften the entry hardscape. Offset concrete pavers in the foreground lead to the side of the house.
BEFORE: The original central great room included living and dining areas as well as the kitchen, but a massive ridgeline skylight dominated the space, which included teal green concrete flooring inset with tiles.
“The skylight was probably added in one of the renovations,” Soo Hoo says, “but it was a dominating factor because of its dark, faux-finished framing.”
“The skylight was probably added in one of the renovations,” Soo Hoo says, “but it was a dominating factor because of its dark, faux-finished framing.”
AFTER: Working with interior designer Jeni Gamble to help select some of the interior finishes, Soo Hoo concentrated the interior renovations on the great room, kitchen, master bathroom and upstairs office.
For the great room, Soo Hoo suggested lightening the space by painting the ceiling white and smoothing out the wood knots to achieve a sleeker appearance. The skylight framing was repainted a light gray to make it visually recede.
A thin, rubberized concrete mix — also in a light-reflecting pale gray — tops the teal concrete flooring, which also was a cost-effective way to cover the inset tiles.
New stacking window walls link the great room to the backyard.
For the great room, Soo Hoo suggested lightening the space by painting the ceiling white and smoothing out the wood knots to achieve a sleeker appearance. The skylight framing was repainted a light gray to make it visually recede.
A thin, rubberized concrete mix — also in a light-reflecting pale gray — tops the teal concrete flooring, which also was a cost-effective way to cover the inset tiles.
New stacking window walls link the great room to the backyard.
Soo Hoo helped the homeowners choose simple, modern furnishings with a few bursts of color that reflect the new design and are able to withstand use by kids and the family’s dog.
In the backyard, landscape architect Merten had the swimming pool filled in, creating a safe, flat play area for the children, which is especially helpful for the son, who has challenges with balance and motor skills. A barbecue and fire pit with seating were also new additions to the yard.
Sectional: Neri & Hu; area rug: Peace Industry; dining table: Crate & Barrel; dining chairs: Eames side chairs, Herman Miller; dining pendants: Foscarini
In the backyard, landscape architect Merten had the swimming pool filled in, creating a safe, flat play area for the children, which is especially helpful for the son, who has challenges with balance and motor skills. A barbecue and fire pit with seating were also new additions to the yard.
Sectional: Neri & Hu; area rug: Peace Industry; dining table: Crate & Barrel; dining chairs: Eames side chairs, Herman Miller; dining pendants: Foscarini
BEFORE: The original skylight loomed over the living area, which also had a small fireplace that chopped the space in two. The door leads to the children’s bedrooms.
AFTER: Soo Hoo visually elongated and decluttered the living area by integrating the fireplace into the wall, underscoring it with a long concrete hearth and covering the wall with textured stone. A slice of walnut paneling adds warmth to the space.
Fireplace: Spark Modern Fires; stone cladding: Island Stone
Fireplace: Spark Modern Fires; stone cladding: Island Stone
A niche by the fireplace was inset with walnut shelving to display books and objects.
Millwork: The Village Collection
Millwork: The Village Collection
BEFORE: The old kitchen, while open to the great room, was configured to face the backyard.
During the renovation process, the homeowners had the existing cabinetry recycled and opted to reuse the appliances in the new layout.
During the renovation process, the homeowners had the existing cabinetry recycled and opted to reuse the appliances in the new layout.
AFTER: The kitchen was rotated to face the great room, providing more of a connection between the spaces. The layout also was centered under the skylight.
New white-oak custom cabinetry adds a natural touch, while a block of white-painted cabinets at the far right keep things from getting too woodsy.
The Wolf range and Sub-Zero refrigerator-freezer were reused from the old kitchen.
Cabinetry: The Village Collection; hood: Vent-A-Hood; sink: Home Refinements by Julien; faucet: Gessi; backsplash tile: Heath Ceramics
New white-oak custom cabinetry adds a natural touch, while a block of white-painted cabinets at the far right keep things from getting too woodsy.
The Wolf range and Sub-Zero refrigerator-freezer were reused from the old kitchen.
Cabinetry: The Village Collection; hood: Vent-A-Hood; sink: Home Refinements by Julien; faucet: Gessi; backsplash tile: Heath Ceramics
A large island provides plenty of work and eating space in the kitchen. The door to the right leads to a pantry and desk area.
Countertops: Caesarstone; bar stools: Lapalma
Countertops: Caesarstone; bar stools: Lapalma
Soo Hoo borrowed space from the existing master bathroom to expand the adjacent walk-in closet. The new, smaller bathroom still looks spacious thanks to clerestory windows, a floating walnut vanity and a glass shower surround, all of which keeps things light and airy.
Cabinetry: The Village Collection; backsplash tile: Heath Ceramics
Cabinetry: The Village Collection; backsplash tile: Heath Ceramics
A bench in the shower is a convenient touch. The linen closet was tucked into a space behind the shower wall.
Countertops and bench tops: Caesarstone; sinks: Kohler; faucets: Vola
Countertops and bench tops: Caesarstone; sinks: Kohler; faucets: Vola
The second-floor office — the home’s only upstairs space —features new dual work spaces and custom cabinetry.
“We redid the window openings to frame the trees,” Soo Hoo says. “It’s like a treehouse up there.”
Cabinetry: The Village Collection; chairs: Aeron, Herman Miller
“We redid the window openings to frame the trees,” Soo Hoo says. “It’s like a treehouse up there.”
Cabinetry: The Village Collection; chairs: Aeron, Herman Miller
A new concrete patio and operable window walls expand the great room space into the backyard. The home’s siting keeps things private, eliminating the need for window treatments.
Yamamar Design came up with several schematic designs for the home’s renovation. This sketch became the final concept.
AFTER: The new floor plan shows how the kitchen was reconfigured, in addition to other layout changes.
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Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Alyson Sinclair, an entrepreneur and a stay-at-home mom; David Lazerwitz, an attorney; and their two school-age children
Location: Mill Valley, California
Size: 3,700 square feet (232 square meters); four bedrooms, four bathrooms
Designers: Yamamar Design (architecture) and Studio Green (landscape architecture)
BEFORE: “We were looking for a single-story house with a flat backyard, which is really hard to find in Mill Valley,” Sinclair says. “Except for the pool in the backyard, which was a safety issue for our son, this house pretty much had the basics we needed.”
Yamamar Design’s Robert Soo Hoo served as project designer, charged with modernizing the circa-1955 home’s architecture. “The home’s exterior and interior had been remodeled several times,” Soo Hoo says, “and the exterior had a cookie-cutter, cottage-y look.”