modern Invasion
San Francisco’s Buena Vista neighborhood is filled with the city’s trademark craftsman and victorian houses. The challenge for CCS Architecture’s Cass Calder Smith, AIA, in remodeling this single-family home was to create a purely modern residence whose facade would equal the older, adjacent buildings in intensity.
The revamped 1,800-square-foot home has the same footprint and number of stories as the one it replaced, and the simple, minimalist design makes the most of the space and light. The width of the windows, which was maximized, creates a horizontal pan of the dramatic ocean views to the west and Buena Vista Park to the east, and a recessed garage creates a vestibule to the right, where one enters the house.
Slats of stained cedar over dark blue plywood are the primary cladding on the front exterior, while cement plaster wraps the sides and rear of the building. Accenting the entry area, the slats extend in front of a full-height window, which admits filtered light.
The two-level plan is about clever restraint and unorthodox minimalism. The first floor accommodates sleeping quarters and clothes storage in an open plan (without doors) that leads to a west-facing deck. The master bathroom is the only one in the house, and it has two points of entry.
The second floor is for cooking, eating, and living. It’s arranged in a diagonal, oriented toward the west and punctuated by a free-hanging fireplace. The kitchen cabinets and appliances are entirely contained within a 30-foot stainless steel assemblage that extends to become a walnut dining table.
Duration: 1 year. Distinctive characteristics: a modern residence fits in with neighboring historic Victorians and Craftsman homes.
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