Built-In Style
In Oakland, California, two designers transformed a 100-year-old barn into a (very) cozy home of their own by redefining the functionality of walls and windowsills.
Three years ago, Otto and I wanted to start doing more of our own work, so we quit our jobs at big architectural firms and started our own office, Stonorov Workshop. Our first project: Renovate our home.
We started in August 2006 but didn’t finish until April 2007. It all took much longer than we expected and we worked on the house nonstop for those eight months, even after I became pregnant with Niko in October.
When we opened the walls, you could see straight to the outside. The framing was nonexistent and the floor dipped down a foot in the bathroom; we didn’t know how it was standing. When I pulled the first piece of drywall off the ceiling, rat feces came pouring down on me. It was awful.
We had to replace nearly everything, except the upstairs floor, which was one of our few wonderful finds.
I was walking up the stairs one day and because the former owners
never put on a trim board, I couldsee a section of the flooring. I looked and said, “Oh my god, that’s wood!” The Pergo flooring came up in half an hour, and we did very little to finish the wood that was underneath.
The parts of the house function as very different areas, even though they’re all within the same tiny space. We don’t have a TV, but when we set up our laptop across from the sofa, that becomes the hangout area. When we’re at the table, it’s very much the eating area. Being able to open both doors to the patio makes a big difference in extending the space. We’ve been able to host dinners with six adults without feeling too closed in.
The fact that the house is two stories is really important. You walk up the stairs and suddenly you’re in a 16-foot-high space, which makes it feel really big. Upstairs is the bedroom and our quiet space. We fantasize about moving to the country and wanted to have our own little oasis up there, so we placed each window in a way that allows you to see only trees.
Niko loves the house. He climbs up the stairs, does laps around the kitchen island, and really likes throwing things out the custom dog door. There are no corners, so it’s pretty kid-proof, but sometimes the energy gets overwhelming with Niko and Oscar both running around and balls all over the floor. That’s when we go for a walk.
The only way we can live in 400 square feet is because we thought out each detail and tried to make every space usable when we were designing the renovation. Everything is built in so there’s nothing jutting out into any rooms. We have an inset bookshelf along the stairs with the exact space for our photo albums, cookbooks, and favorite architecture and garden books. We made the window ledges extra deep so we can put our keys and wallets somewhere when we come home. We also have to keep it really clean. When things start getting everywhere, it becomes claustrophobic.
It was really important to us as home designers to do the building ourselves. You spend time drawing plumbing and electrical systems and you know in theory how it works but you don’t know how it actually goes together. Now when we draw something, we know the implications of our design and if it’s going to work or not.
We won’t live here forever—we will have another kid eventually—but it will transfer into a studio for our firm pretty easily. Working here will be great, and later someone like my mom could live in this house.
Overall, it’s pretty perfect for what we’ll want in the future—–we’ll just add another room that way or push it out this way. The only thing I would change is the six-inch-wide concrete kitchen sink. It’s too damn small and if you drop something in it, it’s a goner.
Articles
-
Family Style
When a Japanese couple asked architects Takaharu and Yui Tezuka to design a small home that would evoke the Italian love of food, informal gatherings, and natural settings, the result was la dolce…
-
Oakland Aesthetics
Perfectly content in San Francisco, the Pfeiffers couldn't help falling in love with a charming mid-century house, across the Bay in Oakland, with stunning views, plenty of trees, and a murky past.
-
Tiny Houses
Living small is the new way to live big—whether within a tighter, more creatively written budget or physically in fewer square feet. In her new book Tiny Houses, Loud Paper Magazine founder…
Tip
-
Built-In Style
In Oakland, California, two designers transformed a 100-year-old barn into a (very) cozy home of their own by redefining the functionality of walls and windowsills.
Events
-
Staged Reading of "A False Solution" at The Blank Theatre
On April 25, 2011, The Blank Theatre in Los Angeles presents a staged reading by Oren Safdie of A False Solution at 8:00pm. The third in a trilogy that is set in the world of contemporary…
-
Tiny Houses by Mimi Zeiger
TINY HOUSES, published by Rizzoliin April 2009 and written by Mimi Zeiger, is a book focused on dwellings under 1,000 square feet. Zeiger's book challenges readers to take a look at their own…
-
Tiny Houses by Mimi Zeiger
Loud Paper Magazine founder and frequent Dwell contributor Mimi Zeiger will sign copies of Tiny Houses, her newly released book from Rizzoli that features diminutive homes under 1,000 square feet.
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
Latest
-
02.05
The Scandic Grand Central, Stockholm
Greetings from Sweden! I'm traveling in Stockholm to cover the…
-
02.06
Bedrock Images's Forgotten Maps
For the architecturally inclined—especially those with a…
-
02.04
Street Furniture Your City Wishes it Had
Street furniture already catches the eye of denizens eyeing a…
Follow
Dwell
-
Inga Sempe's new #lightingdesign for Wastberg http://t.co/oN1G0jTa
-
Each issue look out for the Take Me Home giveaway. Enter now to win the @gusmodern Timber Table from March http://t.co/9rSrie9X! #design
-
Form Us With Friends opening #design http://t.co/qeHXIRzb
-
Form Us With Friends pendants for #Design House Stockholm http://t.co/QwG8iRIW
Go Oakland ingenuity!
Cleverly done. Where is the kitchen though?
If you go to the slideshow and take a look at photo 2 and photo 8, you can see wood cabinets behind the kitchen island. That is the kitchen. The green material is acid-stained concrete and comprises the kitchen counter; there's an electric range on the left and a tiny six-inch-wide sink on the right (where the cement dips down). The couple wanted a SubZero fridge to go under the left side of the concrete counter (it's a mini-fridge), and six inches was all that was left once that was put in place--which is why the sink is so small. Hope that helps!
Gorgeous work! Modern but not stuffy. So great to see a recognition of value in the respect for materials and efficient space planning instead of the $ per square foot value system that the MLS can't seem to escape from. This place feel like twice its size. That's true sustainable design.
What a gem of a house. Very thoughtful use of such limited space (though I can understand why the owners would like a larger kitchen sink!). Homes like this always make me want to go and sell all my possessions...
Very cool house! Love the siding. How are the strips of wood fastened? What's the backing?
did you use any reclaimed lumber, if so how did you like working with old growth material. thanks k
Wow! We have such impressive neighbors! Amazing guys!
I would like to build a small house. Can you tell me the measures of your beautiful house, thank´s Paul
thanks for the wonderful comments! to answer a few questions: the wood strips are fastened with stainless steel fasteners to battons behind the slats. we do work a lot with reclaimed lumber and hard wood. we love using reclaimed, but it is always takes more work and time. the stairs and windows/doors are made out of reclaimed wood. the dimensions are 12'-10" x 16'-9". feel free to email any more questions.
What material did they use for those awesome stairs? They've inspired me to to make good on my notion to knock out my shower wall tiles and replace with hardy board. No more grout cleaning! (I think they made their kitchen way too small!)
Oh, I see: you made the awesome stairs with reclaimed wood slats. Did y'all topcoat with poly-urethane? Any problem with edge-wear, or people slipping and falling down the stairs?
Did y'all router down the stair edges? And about the great shower walls: how did you seal the surfaces, and the seams? What's the weekly cleanup like? Did you pour the shower floor yourself, and if so, did you build it in-place and right-side up?
very nice. is the bathroom under the stairs?
Was this done on the down low or with permits? 'Cause I can't imagine Oakland being this open minded.
How are the exterior walls built up? Is is built up of maybe 1/2 exterior plywood screwed to existing studs, followed by tar paper, then steel battons, and finally the wood as seen in the pictures, 2*X strips maybe 3/4" thick? It looks so slick, I have been looking for an alternative exterior treatment for a while and this looks very nice. Thanks you for sharing this wonderful work?
A lot of things in this house do not seem to be up to code. I am particularly concerned about the window in the child's room near the bed. Also, cribs have standards for a reason! Did you ever think about your child's head getting stuck in the laser-cut holes? The kitchen is a huge disappointment and I am wondering when the bathroom is going to get finished. That looks like regular drywall in there, so I can't imagine it's going to hold up well or for very long without some kind of protective coating.
this is great that you can make it work in such a small space. but how do you cook with one hot pot?! do you guys do mostly take out?
Richard, I think there's a place for people to be all angry and bitter and nervous-nancy, and I think that place is not here.
The exterior of the house is absolutely beautiful, however the interior is a bit of a disappointment. The kitchen is absurdly small and the steel island full of objects is untidy. The bathroom is unattractive, space saving devices like a wall hung toilet could have been incorporated, the shower area and floor could have been entirely of poured cement without the seperating ridge that further reduces the space (visually and functionally). Lots of other details lacking makes me think that you are not used to designing for small spaces! Congragulations though, for a wonderful exterior.
"we won't live here forever..." no kidding. the big house (not mentioned here) and it's backyard cottage are up for sale--just listed today.
Having now seen the house at an open house, I do not believe the people were necessarily living in this cottage. As Pancake says -- this is the "cottage" behind a larger 2-bed 2-bath (still compact and beautiful -- more beautiful than the cottage) -- and both are now up for sale. Were they living in the back cottage while someone else lived in the main house? Maybe... but I'd want to hear that from them directly.
Cottage behind the actual house, you've got be kidding me? What a let down.
Confirmed, it is a 2/2 house with a studio in the back...they don't live in it. http://www.492-58thst.com/ Lame
Confirmed, it is a 2/2 house with a studio in the back...they don't live in it. http://www.492-58thst.com/ LAME!
Confirmed, it is a 2/2 house with a studio in the back...they don't live in it. 492-58thst DOT com/ LAME!
I actually think they were living in the studio while the main house was being renovated, so they did live that simply for quite a while.
How disappointing to find out that much of this article is based on lies! What a let-down!
Looks like the Dwell article has become a major selling point for the owners in the marketing of their house. Free publicity for them, but it makes Dwell look gullible, or like a shill.
Not a let-down at all. Many city people live in tiny quarters. This is a nice example of small housing. The house looks great, inside and out. So what if it's in the back of another house. It still offers lot's of inspirations for current and future owners of small places. Thank you Dwell for sharing these pictures with us.
the studio was the sole living space for 1 1/2 years as written and pictured.
"The only way we can live in 400 square feet is because we thought out each detail and tried to make every space usable when we were designing the renovation." What is the fact checking process at DWELL?
as Ralph Barbieri says way too often, 2 seemingly contrasting things can be equally true. i was likewise disappointed when i saw the real estate ad recently and realized that either the most philosophically pure thing happened, these two designers and their child living in 400sf at the rear of their property while their larger, primary, more spacious house at the street served as income property, or this whole story was full of half truths, and really cheated the premise. i've refused thus far to jump to conclusions, but the story as written does seem wholly implausible given the context we're all now aware of. so, it is true that there's a certain amount of ingenuity at work in this project, and that the details and approach this couple took to this structure are admirable. likely equally true is that the enviable idea that they managed to make the structure truly livable for a family of 3 is mostly untrue. if they simply lived there while remodeling, then it's little different than clients of mine who regularly move into a way too cramped studio apartment while their remodels/additions are completed. it's clear, from the language used in the story, that the intent was to deceive the reader into believing this was a long term solution, with room for expansion as the family grew. had they simply disclosed the true context, we could have all taken the project for the real virtues it engenders, instead of being sold the myth that a family of 3 was managing to LIVE harmoniously in 400sf. they sort of went "camping for the weekend" and checked in to a hotel after the first night.
This was the house that my dad was born in and lived in around 100 years ago. I am sorry I didn't get to see it before the renovation. If there are any pre-renovation photos of it I would LOVE to see them.
Love that crib idea! Very creative.
My wife and I live in an old woodshed on a pier foundation with about 1000 square feet of useful area, so we were quite interested in how others cope with small spaces. There are a few things that we have never resolved well. One of these is where to put the washer and dryer. Most folks that we know really want these. In looking at all the small houses in the June 09 Dwell issue, none of these seem to have space for this either. I would think you probably need about 50 square feet for a convenient laundry, maybe 25 square feet for stackable units. It seems as though the best option might be the bathroom. Have I missed something?
Nice design. I'm a little worried about possible wood rot at the base. Maybe a solid baseboard with treated cedar or any exterior wood.
Love it or hate it: the house and studio/office sold for $720,000 in June 2009.
where did they put the bathroom?
It's a little dissapointing to learn that it wasn't their real, permanent house; they had no intention of living there for any significant length of time. And that is the real reason that this arrangement worked for them. So as someone who looks to smaller spaces as inspiration - that it's actually livable - it seems that Dwell got a duped into playing free advertisement for this couple. That being said, the merits of the house still stand. The exterior looks really great, but there are definitely some issues with the interior. The kitchen is absolutely not usable; maybe for my roommate whose mom brings him cooked food twice a week for dinners and he eats out for lunch / the rest of the time, but for everyone else it might as well not be there. And that kitchen-stand-thing isn't really functional either, and seems to be a waste of space. The one thing that truly worries me is the crib. Cribs are built to very specific safety standards, and for good reasons. The first year of a child's life is very precarious.... a lot of things can hurt them. The fact that they built a crib because they couldn't "find a design they liked" is ridicules, and moreover endangers their child! Yes, I like design. But I wouldn't endanger my child for it... the fact that they did makes me seriously doubt their decision-making abilities. For some architects / designers featured here, Dwell did a really good job, and it is a form of advertisement... I remember the guy who bought an Airstream and transformed it - it looked absolutely beautiful and was very functional. That was a huge advertisement for him and his abilities, and if looking for an innovative architect I would remember him for years to come.... I don't think the same can be said for these guys.
wish i could afford the simple life
question how much was it to build the house that your living in
My husband and I are expecting and have a similar crib design that we are planning on building. After using the crib did you have any concerns/problems?
Look closely at the pictures of the crib. Do you see the reflection caused by the plexi glass in the open circles. No risk of baby getting his/her head stuck in there. Plus its plenty high enough for baby to not be able to get out. Seems perfectly safe to me, and as architects I am sure they are familiar with other types of codes for safety (aka building codes). So I give them credit; I am sure they researched about what a crib needs to be sade and didn't just throw it together. And that plexi is plenty strong enough to keep baby safe. Its 5 times stronger than normal glass, and it won't shatter. As far as sustainability, I love the deep set windows on the exterior. Not only would these make a great bench, but being set back so far means they are shaded from the high summer sun. So they may have some passive solar benifits as well.
RSS Feed
Add a Comment