Houzz Tour: ‘Surgical Remodel’ Adds Modern Style to a Row House
A new open floor plan and an expansion help modernize a San Francisco home and open up a gorgeous hillside garden view
Before: This photo shows the rear interior of the home before it was renovated. You can see a slice of the hillside garden through the dining room window. The kitchen is to the left of the dining room. Other than the sliver shown here, the garden wasn’t visible from the home’s front living spaces.
The Open-Concept Main Floor
After: The renovation opened up the living spaces on the main floor so the garden view can be enjoyed from many angles. A large picture window behind the kitchen sink and the floor-to-ceiling glass pocket door offer a wide view of the backyard. “The door and window frames are extremely minimal. They go right into the ceiling to maximize the view and the glass,” Ohashi says. The right-most panel of the sink window swings out to let in fresh air.
The new open plan is designed for casual, social living throughout the various spaces. “It’s all about flow and talking and moving,” Ohashi says, in “a visually relaxed environment.”
After: The renovation opened up the living spaces on the main floor so the garden view can be enjoyed from many angles. A large picture window behind the kitchen sink and the floor-to-ceiling glass pocket door offer a wide view of the backyard. “The door and window frames are extremely minimal. They go right into the ceiling to maximize the view and the glass,” Ohashi says. The right-most panel of the sink window swings out to let in fresh air.
The new open plan is designed for casual, social living throughout the various spaces. “It’s all about flow and talking and moving,” Ohashi says, in “a visually relaxed environment.”
Before: This is the kitchen prior to the renovation. The sink window faced the backyard.
After: In the new kitchen, flat-panel cabinet doors with simple finger pulls and streamlined, modern window details help create the modern feel the owners wanted in their home. The architect chose a figured walnut veneer — which is a special cut that shows the wood grain — with a clear stain for the lower cabinets and pale gray lacquer in Cumulus Cloud by Benjamin Moore for the upper cabinets.
The kitchen island features the same white Caesarstone as the perimeter, with a waterfall edge (an element popular in contemporary and modern kitchens) and a walnut front that matches the lower cabinets. The bar stools are also walnut.
The floors are oak, chosen to match the rest of the home.
Make a Splash in Your Kitchen With a Waterfall Countertop
The kitchen island features the same white Caesarstone as the perimeter, with a waterfall edge (an element popular in contemporary and modern kitchens) and a walnut front that matches the lower cabinets. The bar stools are also walnut.
The floors are oak, chosen to match the rest of the home.
Make a Splash in Your Kitchen With a Waterfall Countertop
The kitchen is open to the dining area. To the left of the refrigerator, Ohashi added a nook that serves as a pantry and also leads down a short hallway to the new powder room. The staircase shown beyond the dining table leads to the front door. A contemporary chandelier sparkles overhead. The kitchen backsplash is ceramic tile from Italics Tile & Stone.
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Find chandeliers in the Houzz Shop
Here’s a look at the pantry nook. The aluminum appliance garage corrals small items such as a coffee maker and blender. The microwave is neatly suspended from the upper cabinets here so it doesn’t take up counter space in the main kitchen.
Browse microwave ovens
Browse microwave ovens
Beyond the kitchen island and dining table is the living area, which is divided into two zones. The zone on the left (in front of the window) is designed to be a quiet sitting and conversation area. The zone to the right is a TV-viewing area with a fireplace. You can just see the left side of the sofa in the TV-viewing zone on the far right of the photo.
The dining table has legs in American black walnut and a white glass top that pairs well with the white and metal chandelier above it. (See previous photos and next photo.)
The designers used the pink dots on the wall above the console table as a visual break between the kitchen and the living area, Ohashi says.
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The designers used the pink dots on the wall above the console table as a visual break between the kitchen and the living area, Ohashi says.
Shop for dining tables on Houzz
Before: Here’s how the “quiet” living space looked prior to the renovation. Notice the thick window trim.
After: This is the sitting area after the renovation. There is no longer any trim around the window. The accent wall in the living space (shown here behind the sofa) is painted Galveston Gray, and the other walls are Baby’s Breath, both by Benjamin Moore.
The homeowners had several pieces of artwork, and the ODS designers helped them place it throughout the home.
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The homeowners had several pieces of artwork, and the ODS designers helped them place it throughout the home.
Find sofas in the Houzz Shop
The team added a small decorative mantel to the existing fireplace and painted the fireplace Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore. The staircase to the left leads to the bedrooms.
The Upstairs Expansion
Bumping out the back of the home 6 feet created a much larger master bedroom. The part of the room to the left of the open door frame was added in the renovation. Ohashi placed the window strategically so that neighbors can’t see into the room, and there’s a roller shade hidden in a recessed pocket. The shade is operated by remote control.
Prior to the renovation, the three-bedroom home had one full bathroom upstairs. ODS created a second full bathroom upstairs. The hallway in this photo leads to the new master bathroom on the left and a walk-in closet on the right, which now form the private master suite.
Bumping out the back of the home 6 feet created a much larger master bedroom. The part of the room to the left of the open door frame was added in the renovation. Ohashi placed the window strategically so that neighbors can’t see into the room, and there’s a roller shade hidden in a recessed pocket. The shade is operated by remote control.
Prior to the renovation, the three-bedroom home had one full bathroom upstairs. ODS created a second full bathroom upstairs. The hallway in this photo leads to the new master bathroom on the left and a walk-in closet on the right, which now form the private master suite.
In the new master bathroom, the upper part of the window is sand-blasted glass for privacy.
The walnut vanity cabinetry matches the kitchen cabinets, and the counter is the same white Caesarstone used throughout the kitchen. The floors are porcelain tiles and the shower walls feature blue-gray glass tiles. The mirror on the window wall is actually a medicine cabinet; each end of the vanity features one so that both husband and wife have their own.
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The walnut vanity cabinetry matches the kitchen cabinets, and the counter is the same white Caesarstone used throughout the kitchen. The floors are porcelain tiles and the shower walls feature blue-gray glass tiles. The mirror on the window wall is actually a medicine cabinet; each end of the vanity features one so that both husband and wife have their own.
Find porcelain bathroom tile on Houzz
Here’s the new second upstairs bathroom.
A New Back Facade
Before: The back of the home had an unattractive single-story addition. It was removed as part of the renovation.
During the design process, the pros at ODS Architecture shared Houzz ideabooks with the homeowners to help illustrate options for the design and details of the remodel.
Before: The back of the home had an unattractive single-story addition. It was removed as part of the renovation.
During the design process, the pros at ODS Architecture shared Houzz ideabooks with the homeowners to help illustrate options for the design and details of the remodel.
After: This photo shows the new cedar and stucco rear facade, as well as a portion of the lovely hillside garden. The stair railing at right marks the new route from the garage into the back of the home.
Here’s another view of the new staircase that leads from a new door at the back of the garage to the ipe wood deck and into the kitchen. This is a more convenient route for the homeowners than having to exit through the front of the garage and go up the front stairs of the home as they did before the remodel.
Contractor: Conscious Construction
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Contractor: Conscious Construction
More on Houzz
What Architects Want You to Know About Hiring the Right One
Browse photos for inspiration
Find an architect near you
Shop for products for your renovation
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Size: 2,455 square feet (228 square meters)
Location: San Francisco
Architect: Alan Ohashi of ODS Architecture
The couple who own this San Francisco home had a beautiful hillside backyard with a well-tended garden, hot tub and sitting area. But the home’s interior wasn’t at the same level in terms of design quality or comfort, architect Alan Ohashi says.
The homeowners hired a team of pros from ODS Architecture to bring contemporary style to part of the home through a strategic renovation, since the budget didn’t allow for a whole-house remodel. “It had to be what we call a ‘surgical remodel,’ where we remodel certain specific areas and leave other ones alone,” Ohashi says.
The renovation included painting the home’s facade and bumping out the back of it by 6 feet. The changes expanded the three-bedroom home by 476 square feet. The additional space created room for a remodeled kitchen and an expanded master bedroom, as well as a relocated powder room on the main floor. The remodel also involved relocating the master bathroom and adding a second bathroom upstairs. The home got a new back entrance with a new ipe wood deck. Interior designers Atara Kelman and Carina Felix of ODS made the furniture selections and advised on art placement.
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