233 32nd Avenue
We started this project in the fall of 2011. When our clients decided to remodel their new home, they interviewed many other Architects and designers, but to our delight, they ultimately decided to work with us. We worked very closely on this project, not only through the design phase, but also through the construction phase.
This project was a renovation of their newly purchased house in San Francisco. It was a 4-story structure that had not been updated since the 1980’s. Much of the tile and interior finishes were very dated. We did a full renovation of the entire house including the kitchen, family room, master suite reconfiguration, and full bathroom improvements. In addition, we updated trims, moldings, doors, hardware, and fireplace surrounds throughout the house.
Because we were fully involved throughout the entire construction process, we ended up with all the details and finishes we had envisioned. We are thrilled with the end product on this project.
Credits
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Contractor:
- Jerzy Olszewski
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- Eric Holm
Eyetone
Photographer:
- Eric Holm
- Below you can see the living room fireplace. We stripped off the dated black granite and raised the niches on each side. At the new fireplace surround, we reflected the details in the existing plaster moldings with egg and dart trims, a traditional mantle, and a new green granite. By raising the niches on each side, the proportions bring a higher level of elegance to the space.
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The living room in the rear family room also received a face lift. The previous fireplace (shown below) had several depths and did not connect with the overhead beam, creating a strange pocket of space at the top. Also, due to the large window on the right side, balancing the fireplace with matching bookshelves was not possible.
We furred out the face of the fireplace, creating one smooth vertical plane that touched the beam above nicely. We reduced the size of the adjacent window to make space for matching bookshelves and cabinets. A custom plaster finish completed the look at this fireplace. -
Below you can see the previous kitchen. One bank of cabinets on the outside wall and an island in the middle left a lot of wasted space adjacent to the hallway. We eliminated the island and created a “galley” kitchen with significantly more storage and counter space.
For maximum use when entertaining large groups, we created (3) distinct zones in the kitchen area. The main kitchen for daily use, the island looking into the family room, and a separate “beverage station” leading into the family room. This kitchen has it all, including (2) dishwashers, wine storage, a beverage refrigerator, multiple ovens, and even a warming drawer. -
Instead of a basic white and black kitchen, our client let us warm things up with sage green cabinets and a glass tile backsplash. We think it really makes the space feel warm and homey.
For maximum use when entertaining large groups, we created (3) distinct zones in the kitchen area. The main kitchen for daily use, the island looking into the family room, and a separate “beverage station” leading into the family room. This kitchen has it all, including (2) dishwashers, wine storage, a beverage refrigerator, multiple ovens, and even a warming drawer. - Here you can see all the wasted space that was behind the previous island. We maximized the square footage by extending the wall in the hallway to create space for a refrigerator and appliance cabinet (not shown here). Behind our new eat-in island you can see the entertaining area cleverly identified as the “beverage station.” All these different activity areas really helped keep people out of the kitchen during their large events.
- The rear family room was a terrific entertaining space even before we started work. We just turned up the volume on an already great room. By removing the bulky cabinets on the back wall, we made space for (2) informal seating areas and a beverage station for serving drinks during their events. Also, you can see the previous ceiling only had beams running in one direction. We formalized the ceiling and tied it into the architecture of the rest of the house, by installing cross members at the ceiling, creating a coffered ceiling effect with minimal cost.
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All the bathrooms got a face lift as part of our work. Shown here is the downstairs bathroom. Previously, it was a long bathroom with a strange closet at one end. We borrowed some space from this bathroom for our celebrated beverage station on the other side, but still have a beautiful, comfortably sized bathroom.
A wood wainscot and warm floor tile with a simple edge pattern connected this space with the architecture of the rest of the house. Also, it looks like limestone, but that’s porcelain tile with a subtle pattern in the shower. - The master suite was one of our biggest transformations in this project. You can see from the image below, there was a strange built-in cabinet and countertop behind the bed which pushed it far away from the wall and crowded the space. We tore that cabinet out and pushed the bed all the way back to the wall to create space for multiple seating areas and to maximize the view of the Golden Gate Bridge from bed.
- Here you can see the improvements we made to the fireplace as well as the way we incorporated seating, storage, and even a little desk area into this generously sized master bedroom. Also, we created niches on each side of the bed wall to give these homeowners a tidy place to tuck away their photos and nightstand must-haves.
- This master suite boasts incredible panoramic views that reach all the way downtown to the Transamerica building and over to the Golden Gate Bridge. Who wouldn’t want to spend all day in this luxurious room? Just in case they never want to leave, we tucked a wine fridge and coffee maker into the wall adjacent to 1 of 3 walk-in closets.
- Here you can really see how much space we gained by removing the cabinet behind the bed. Just that one change allowed us to push the bed back and create two separate seating areas to enjoy the view by.
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I know it’s hard to believe, but these are the same spaces. Below, you can see this long passageway to a tangential master closet. Located at the top of the stairs, it was segregated from the master bedroom. Ironically, this closet area boasted some of the best views in the house.
Rather than hide those incredible views, we put them in a room that needs to be used every day, the Master bathroom. We extended the adjacent master bathroom into this corner, creating a large walk-in shower and deep soak Jacuzzi tub. The shower has an overhead rainhead as well as a wall mounted shower head. It also greets these homeowners each morning with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Not a bad view to wake up to each morning. Thankfully, this bathroom and all its large windows faces out onto a park so privacy isn’t as much of a concern. - We’re not sure what the previous owners were thinking with the black and red brick tile, but we blasted right through it to put in this custom cherry cabinetry, site-built mirrors, walker-zanger tile, and patterned floor tile.
- Check out the improvement to the Jacuzzi tub. Rather than use a mirror surround to get natural light in, we put large windows right up to the tub. Having a large park along the back façade helps maintain privacy and creates a spectacular view of the surrounding nature during a nice soak.
- Check out that view. Not a bad way to start out each day.