“Our kitchen was transformed into a space that now feels uniquely ours, continues to evolve with our family needs, and gives us such functional and aesthetic joy. While it physically sits at the center of our home, it is even more so a central part of our family life where we love to gather with friends, cook messy pancakes with the kids, or find a quiet moment to sip tea and stare at the trees,” the homeowners said.
A young couple of healthcare professionals fell in love with “what could be” when they discovered a mid-century home that felt like a treehouse and exuded potential, despite the fact that it was—at the time—falling off a cliff. The house, with spectacular views overlooking Northern California’s Mount Diablo, was going to be their family’s home for years to come. Although the structure they purchased was in less-than-ideal shape, they wanted to preserve the authentic style of the house, whose history had been documented in a shoebox that the original owners and builders had left in the kitchen.
The renovation began amid a pandemic and a pregnancy, but the homeowners had it covered. Having enlisted the talented hand of EYRC Architects, the couple transformed something weathered and divided into something elegant and open. The kitchen took center stage rather than being pushed against a wall: a floating mass with a 20-foot island and no pantry—but a capacity for storage that has just the right inner workings to make up for it. The soul of the kitchen is its ability to bring people together, no matter how small, and adapt to each of them. In one instance, the family watched the patinas on their brass handles become beautifully distinct from those adults had left, developing in the quaint size and pattern of a 3-year-old’s fingertips. The island, although grand in size, creates an intimate space to enjoy the close company of others, cook up breakfast, work from home, watch the sunset, or sip on a peaceful midnight glass of water. How, you might ask? By working like a fine-tuned system, with the spirit of an old friend.
Bay Area, California
Architect: EYRC Architects
Contractor: McCutcheon Construction