A greater great room: the roof of this Mid-Century home was raised, creating a loftier, more expansive interior.

The ebb, flow, and restructuring of ideologies in any given generation makes itself apparent in the architectural innovations of that generation. Perpetual shifts in lifestyle and aesthetics—in addition to inevitable wear and tear—dictate that the “useful life” of a house is roughly 30-40 years. This means that every generation or so, a house will likely require renovations. These renovations require more than just surface refurbishment and appliance upgrades, says principal architect Robin Pennell. The home must be brought into conversation with contemporary living, without compromising the integrity of its original design.

Victorian homes had their second heyday of remodels in the 1980’s; Craftsmans had theirs in the 1990’s, and traditional and early ranch style homes took up the limelight in the early 2000’s. Just as the structural elements and facades of these homes inevitably degrade, so too do the visions of contemporaneity that are encoded within them. Divisions of space start to feel antiquated, like bygone utopias. Mid-Century moderns are currently undergoing remodels, and experiencing a new appreciation. The historical precedent of adaptation provides architects and designers with the opportunity to reposition these homes within the context of contemporary living.

View from the great room into the kitchen

To bring this 1960’s rancher into dialogue with contemporary lifestyle, Jarvis Architects worked together with interior designer Siobhan Brennan to expand the great room and lift the ceiling, creating a more flowing, warm, and inviting home.  With the critical distance of hindsight on their side, it became clear that the so-called open plan of this Modernist home contained vestiges of compartmentalism left over from the Victorian era. During that time, each room contained an individual heating system, and was sealed off by a doorway. One simply opened the door to the room one wanted to be heated. With the advent of forced air heating and more casual living, increasingly open plans became available. Modernism marks a transitional point between the two heating systems, and therefore retains aspects of both architectural morphologies. The open, expansive feel of this remodeled home takes its cue from the original Modernist design, and follows its ideal of overarching simplicity to its logical, contemporary conclusion.

The challenge in remodeling this Berkeley home was to add more closet space without compromising the spacious feeling of its rooms. As a solution, architect Jon Larson designed built-in closets, which allowed the expansive ceilings to remain intact. The trimwork of the closets was designed to blend in with the original house as if it had always been there. In this way, the design strikes a harmonious balance between practicality and consistency.

Built-in cabinet with skylight

The entry hall was originally filled with doorways, and thus too crowded for closet space. During the remodel, one of the doorway openings was narrowed slightly, allowing for closet space in the adjacent living room. Jon’s design incorporated cabinetmaker Bill’s idea for a top skylight, which provides natural light during the daytime, sparing the use of an electric light.

With matching trimwork, the new closet integrates seamlessly with the look of the original room.

Detail of closet skylight

The built-in closet in the master bedroom adds the storage of a double closet while preserving the open, expansive feel of the room. Added details are a fragrant cedar lining in the closet and an attic ‘mystery’ window with a switched light behind it. The window gives the impression that the outdoors is right behind it, adding whimsical nuance to the room.

Master bedroom closet and attic window

The newest addition to the Jarvis team, Daniel Camargo hails from Curitiba, a Southern Brazillian city acclaimed for its sustainable urban development initiatives.  His interest in architecture springs from his natural aptitude for the arts and sciences, in addition to his immersion in the field from an early age.

Daniel earned a degree in industrial Design at the Technologic University of Parana in 2000, and went on to work for a Canadian architectural historical documentation firm.  He developed an interest in the nuts and bolts of American architecture, eventually relocating to the Bay Area in 2005 to work with various architects.  Coincidentally, this included training with one of Jarvis’ first associated architects.

In his spare time, Daniel enjoys cooking, drawing, sculpting, spending time with his three year old son, and playing music with his Brazilian Jazz ensemble.

The repurpose and Upcycle trends in architecture and design have led to a renewed curiosity in the past histories and potential future uses of the objects we come in contact with on a daily basis.  That a table, door, or accessory we’ve incorporated into our everyday lives could’ve once held a completely different form or use is an inspiring notion.  A recent Jarvis remodel project upholds this spirit by re-imagining the ways to light a stairway.

This Berkeley home, recently remodeled under the direction of Jarvis Architects Robin Pennell and Cindy Chan, features a skylight with a unique back story.

Above: detail of art glass panelling on skylight

The skylight began as a standard french door unit, one of a pair of doors fitted with art glass panels.  The door was then trimmed down to window frame size and installed in a new ceiling opening above the stairway.  Since the house has two stories, the architects designed a skylight well, situated in the attic above the new skylight, to bring bright, ambient light to an otherwise shadowy stairway.  Outfitted with gloss white sheetrock, the skylight fixture creatively and resourcefully reproduces the look of reflected daylight.  The new door-turned-skylight acts a portal for spaciousness and light in the home.

Second floor terrace with custom sidelight window fixtures provides backyard breeze and enjoyment from above

The owners of this Rockridge home, built on a steep downslope, wanted to bring more light, ventilation and views of outside scenery into their dining room.  Jarvis Architects worked with them to design a ‘terrace’, increasing continuity between interior and landscape and imparting access to the outdoors despite the steep incline of the terrain.

 
The original design called for a set of sliding French doors with flanking sidelights, stationary door-height windows that would extend the thrust of the doorway and allow for maximum scope of view.  However, the owners wanted a design that would provide ventilation even while the doors were closed. Working together with Greenfield Building and ASAP Window and Door, they came up with an ingenious awning/door combo, in which an awning window is set atop each sidelight, enabling fresh airflow in a child- and puppy-proofed environment.

Above: Sidelight, with awning window detail

This project epitomizes the collaborative nature of designing and building a home.  It is a process that begins with a wish list and does not end until the last truck drives away. The most successful projects are the ones where everyone plays an active, contributing role.

Through a string of continuous room additions, this 1910 Bungalow had become a hallway to nowhere with virtually no connection to the large backyard.  Whereas before the long angled hall had seemed a confused byproduct, with the help of Jarvis Architects it became a dynamic and multi-dimensional space, connecting the living spaces to each other and to the outdoors, and giving the home a big heart.

Originally designed by John Hudson Thomas in the 1920’s, this Berkeley house had been subsequently remodeled in a style unbefitting of the original structure’s robust quality.  Jarvis was enlisted to update its interior structure.

With the original blueprints as a reference, our architects re-articulated key borders and transitions between spaces, fostering open mobility throughout the house.  Mindful of the building’s heritage and with minimum changes to the exterior, they expanded the kitchen into an adjoining rear hall and room, opened up the dining room, turned a small bath into a pantry, and expanded the master bath to incorporate a former attic room. The kitchen renovation utilized details based on the original house design, while incorporating modern appliances, lighting and plumbing.  This remodel imagines what the original designer might have done were he alive today.

A new window over the tub in the master bath replicates the design of an adjacent original window, upholding seamless continuity between new and existing structures.