Creative Re-Use in Oakland
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Shoup, his wife, Taya, and daughter, Hannah, relax on the deck off the kitchen with their dog, Stella. “For a high percentage of the year, we just roll open the door, and everybody hangs out in the kitchen, where we can keep an eye on Hannah,” explains Shoup. “There’s kind of a leathery quality to it,” he says of the door, which he fabricated of steel, with glass salvaged from an old sliding door. The sandstone sculpture is called “Mother and Daughter.” Photo by Aya Brackett. -
“Part of the idea was to take the geometry that was already embedded in the site and incorporate gravel to add texture and a place for water to percolate into the ground,” Shoup notes. “One of the challenges in green building is to not only minimize water use but minimize what is getting into our storm drains.” Photo by building Lab inc. -
Shoup chose Trex decking (which is made from reclaimed plastic and wood) for its environmentally friendly profile and ease of maintenance. Photo by building Lab inc. -
“A lot of the design was aimed at creating a sense of oasis,” says Shoup. Photo by building Lab inc. -
In the kitchen and dining area, Shoup used ipe wood and installed an energy-efficient hydronic radiant heating system in the concrete floor. “There’s a minimalism that drives the basic design gestures,” notes Shoup. “I tried to temper that with a complementary materials.” Photo by building Lab inc. -
The master bedroom occupies a long, slender space on two levels. “If I’d taken the platform out, there’d be no differentiation,” Shoup explains. “I wanted some sense of definition without putting up walls.” Bamboo was used for the stairs, walls and platform. Photo by building Lab inc. -
Shoup accentuated the feeling of space in the master bath by opening it up to the full ceiling height. Ipe wood sheathes the sink and tub. “The tile has the appearance of stranding to play off the bamboo in the bedroom,” notes Shoup, who sourced the tile at Heath Ceramics' seconds warehouse. “I pulled a bunch of their less-than-perfect tiles. They’re a little bent, and the glazing is a bit off, but the lack of perfection actually serves us well.” The light fixtures are from Ikea. Photo by building Lab inc. -
Two converted shipping containers (left) now house offices for Shoup’s design/build firm. “Perhaps the most successful aspect of turning this into a place to live and an office rather than just have this shop space was moving it towards real indoor-outdoor living,” he says. Taya Shoup, a landscape designer, has refined her husband’s vision for the property with a courtyard and plantings. Photo by building Lab inc. -
Shoup built a connector between the shipping containers and covered it with salvaged redwood. Glass panels from old sliding doors offer ample illumination in the workspaces. Photo by Muffy Kibbey. -
“We’re trying to create a sense of enclosure and privacy in an urban area without putting up a walled city,” says Shoup. Photo by building Lab inc. -
The plan of the Shoup residence designed by Stephen Shoup of building Lab inc."Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!
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