Rising Above
High in the hills of an old-world San Francisco neighborhood, architect Alex Terry’s home is the epitome of modern
Noe Valley may not be the first place that comes to mind when
you think of contemporary architecture, but that’s exactly
what you’ll find when you visit Alex Terry’s hillside
home. The project earned the Berkeley-based architect and his
architect-brother, Ivan, a Merit Award from the American Institute
of Architects, East Bay, for its innovative and well-crafted
design. “Contemporary is our aesthetic philosophy, and
since it was my house, we wanted to do what we liked,” says
Terry. He shares the home with his wife, Colleen, and their 20-month-old
daughter, Sofia.
The structure was built in 1907 and set into a steep uphill
site. “It
had been ‘butchered’ with additions and was not up
to code,” says Terry. “We tried to salvage what we
could but the framing was essentially rebuilt.” Today the
2,100-square-foot house has an open-plan living space with four
bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a decidedly Japanesque feel—a
modern ambience with a nod to the neighborhood’s decidedly
old-world atmosphere.
Concrete was essential to the design and is found in walls
and the concrete-enclosed yard. “It’s a great material to work with because it’s low
maintenance and lasts forever,” says Terry. “Wood is more economical,
but with concrete you get a clean, refined look. It also has a certain character
that stucco and other materials don’t.” Concrete also proved to be
a natural fire block in a neighborhood dense with wooden houses.
When rebuilding the structure, the brothers raised it five
feet for a better view of the hills and to enhance the indoor-outdoor
connection. “By raising
the house we helped level the yard, which otherwise would be accessible only
from downstairs,” Terry says. “It’s wonderful to let Sofia
play outside and be able to watch her from the kitchen.” An added bonus
is access to an old shed restored as a garden room-cum-office/study. “Colleen
and I like to come here and watch the sun set or just hang out.”
The kitchen is another favorite destination since the couple
likes to cook. They used stainless steel, in a solid 1/4-inch-thick
slab, for counters and the island. “The
slab serves as a work surface but is very linear so it retains the clean, open
effect,” says Terry. Floors are black basalt, and cabinets are Italian
cherrywood to carry through the sleek, minimalist component.
Around the corner from the kitchen is the master bedroom, which
also opens to the garden. Terry converted one wall into a
closet with sliding, sandblasted glass doors to keep the
room airy and to balance “scoops” of light
from gaps between the wall and the roof. The adjoining master bath continues
the gaps to maximize light in a minimal space. Above the stand-alone shower is
a skylight. “My wife wanted a tub in the bath so I created one out of stainless
steel,” says Terry. “It looks like an oversize trough, but with a
Japanese flavor.” Counters are cherrywood topped with thick glass, a signature
touch also found in the custom furnishings designed by Alex and Ivan, including
a glass-topped table in the dining area and a steel table in the living room.
The pair chose wood for the facade and interior. “Our installer recommended
cumaru for the floor, which looks like mahogany but without the expense,” Alex
says. “We wanted a tropical wood, and cumaru is extremely hard so it doesn’t
dent—which is great when you have kids and toys.” He also used ipe
panel strips on walls. “It’s less expensive than redwood and far
superior in quality,” Terry says. “Let it silver and wash it once
a year, and it looks great.” Plus, it’s farm grown and environmentally
friendly. The ceilings are cedar.
On the lower level are two guest bedrooms, one of which serves
as a media room with a full “bleed” of windows looking out to the front yard. The
second bedroom has its own entrance and bath so guests can come and go as they
please; the room could easily be converted to an in-law unit if necessary. The
laundry room and storage are also on the lower level, as are the water heater
and furnace. “We chose radiant heating, which is easier to install and
has a nicer heat than forced air,” says Terry.
Terry wanted a lot of light, so skylights were added in the
living area. Another prominent source of light comes from
cantilevered stairs to the roof. Terry kept them narrow and
transparent by using sandblasted panels, so each step seems
to flow from one to the next. “They appear to float,” he says. “You
can see through, under, and behind them. Sophia loves to sit [on them] because
she can peer through the metal railing to the rooms below.” The stairwell
opens up to a sunny roof terrace, which looks out over charming Noe Valley—and
is another of this home’s modern spaces that has been carefully
designed to blend into its old-world surroundings.
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