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Science meets creativity in an Eichler home makeover

Open for Ideas

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Investing Themselves in Design:

 The owners of this Eighler house, both doctors, were living with their parents with their

two young children when they approached Klopf Architecture about adding to and

remodeling their Eichler house in San Mateo. Although understandably eager to move

into their own home, They were not interested in rushing the project. Instead, they

wanted to develop a design that would t their lifestyle and complement the origi-

nal Eichler they were adapting. During our meetings it became clear that they were

not your ordinary scientists, but also artists. They would pick their own colors, designcustom tile patterns, and create original artworks to decorate their new walls. Klopf

Architecture would work with them to provide a canvas for their creativity.

One year later, they are still working on the nishing touches...

Cover: Enlarged master bedroom with new corner window preserves the feel of over-

hangs even while lling in under them.

Opposite: Additional sliding glass door completely opens the house. There is transpar-ency from the atrium all the way to the back yard.

Eichler House Addition and Remodel

San Mateo, CA

Completed March, 2003

Klopf Architecture and others

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Open for Ideas:

One of the reasons the owner bought this particular Eichler is that the ceiling boards are not painted. They wanted

to use natural wood colors as a backdrop for accent colors on the walls and ceiling beams. We installed a natural-

wood color bamboo oor to set off the vivid furniture pieces that the owners add from time to time. On top of that,

One of the owners is a painter and has created original works for the walls.

We preserved the openness of the original throughout, allowing light to enter and wash the vivid interior colors.

 The kitchen was designed by others.

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Space to Breathe:

 The original Eichler, a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house in less than 1800 sf, was

cramped. Adding 300 sf of bedroom and bathroom space brought the classic up to

today’s comfort standards without sacricing the original design.

 The childrens’ bedrooms (previous pages) achieve a balance of light/openness and

privacy/security that ts the needs of a boy and girl as they grow up. The corner

windows added to maintain the look and feel of the Eichler overhang never face other

windows in the house, and the sliding glass doors face a retaining wall and fence at

the neighbors property line.

Turning the Corner:

 Th owners wanted more space and more feeling of openness in their master bedroom.

 The enlarged bedroom has wall-to-ceiling glass on two walls instead of the original

one, and allows views into the backyard from multiple angles while lying in bed.

Tile Patterns and Light:

On the following pages, the scientist/artists laid out tile patterns and picked the colors

for the bathrooms. Klopf Architecture provided light for their creations with appro-

priately-placed skylights and windows that wash walls with light. Skylights brought

ethereal light into the children’s bathroom when a shearwall was required where there

used to be a door outside.

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Remodeled child’s bathroom

with owner-designed tiles

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Detail of owner-designed tiles in master shower

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Addition/Remodel Plan

slate pavers throughout

for continuity

open kitchen/living/

dining space

enlarged master

bedroom with

more light &

corner windowsenlarged kid’s

bedrooms with

more light &

corner windows

seismic

upgrade

enlarged, sky-lit

bathrooms

study

garage

open courtyard

sky-lit hallway