Before & After: With a Crisp Addition, a Cookie-Cutter Eichler Breaks Out of Its Shell

In Sunnyvale, Blaine Architects expands a run-of-the-mill midcentury with a serene courtyard and a subtle yet stylish studio.

Megan Blaine is no stranger to Eichlers. The architect and cofounder of Blaine Architects has remodeled many Bay Area homes built by the midcentury developer—and she even lives in one herself. So when new clients reached out about this 1959 Eichler in Sunnyvale, she looked beyond its run-of-the-mill design, and started imagining something extraordinary.

The home is one of 275 homes built at the same time—mostly courtyard and atrium models with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and little variation between them. "There was nothing in particular that really stood out with this home," says Blaine. "In Eichler neighborhoods, every third or fourth house is exactly the same, so this was just one of those."

Before: Front Facade 

Before: The four-bedroom, two-bathroom 1959 Eichler had an L-shaped plan and a tall fence.

Before: The four-bedroom, two-bathroom 1959 Eichler had an L-shaped plan and a tall fence.

The clients had moved to the Bay Area from Southern California, and they discovered Eichlers by chance via their first rental. They loved the natural light, the glass, and the simplicity—so they made the leap and purchased one in 2020. "It wasn’t too dramatic or fancy with its grid of beams and posts," says the owner. "It was almost like a real-life Lego house." They reached out to Blaine for a kitchen remodel, as they often cook and needed more prep space and storage.  From there, the scope gradually grew. 

"Over the next couple weeks, they thought, ‘let’s add a Zen pavilion to our front courtyard,’" says Blaine. "They wanted this meditation pavilion to feel like an Eichler and look like an Eichler, and be a place that's isolated from traffic and the urban environment."

The plan further blossomed to include a 545-square-foot addition with an independent studio that fronts the street and connects to the original home via a wide corridor with a reading nook. With the new floor plan in place, Blaine explored different rooflines for the studio. "The client wanted something that was recognizable and distinct," says Blaine. "The design challenge there is, how do you do that when every third or fourth house is exactly the same?"

After: Front Facade 

Blaine Architects capped the home’s new addition with a shed roof that echoes the slope of traditional Eichlers, but slants in the opposite direction. The wood screen is made from Accoya.

Blaine Architects capped the home’s new addition with a shed roof that echoes the slope of traditional Eichlers, but slants in the opposite direction. The wood screen is made from Accoya.

They ultimately opted to cap the studio with a shed roof that slopes in the opposite direction of a typical Eichler roofline. "Then we contextualized that design and made it fit into the neighborhood by focusing on and maintaining the original Eichler detailing," says Blaine, referencing the angle of the roof’s slope and the studio’s generous eaves, clerestory glass, and vertical siding. 

The addition created a new open-air atrium at the center of the home—another nod to traditional Eichlers—enclosed by three original glass doors and two new ones. 

Before: Courtyard 

Before: The owners sought to revitalize the barren courtyard at the center of the L-shaped plan.

Before: The owners sought to revitalize the barren courtyard at the center of the L-shaped plan.

After: Courtyard 

New living spaces enclose a 400-square-foot atrium with a Zen garden.

New living spaces enclose a 400-square-foot atrium with a Zen garden.

The corridor has a sizable sliding glass pocket door, and the thresholds are flush to the cork floors inside and the large-format porcelain exterior tile. The center of the courtyard is filled with raked 1/8" Desert Gold crushed granite.

The corridor has a sizable sliding glass pocket door, and the thresholds are flush to the cork floors inside and the large-format porcelain exterior tile. The center of the courtyard is filled with raked 1/8" Desert Gold crushed granite.

The independent studio has large picture windows overlooking the courtyard.

The independent studio has large picture windows overlooking the courtyard.

"Because Eichler homes are all built together at the same time, they have the exact same details repeated over and over again," says Blaine. "We were really keen on keeping those details intact with the new part of the building." This approach extends to the exterior siding, eaves and beams, and how the window glass is set into the structure to create a sense of depth. 

After: Studio 

The studio is a miniature living suite that can accommodate guests or provide space for entertaining. It has a full bathroom, a kitchenette with white oak cabinetry and terrazzo counters, and a dining area with an Emea bistro table and two About a Chair armchairs from Hay.

The studio is a miniature living suite that can accommodate guests or provide space for entertaining. It has a full bathroom, a kitchenette with white oak cabinetry and terrazzo counters, and a dining area with an Emea bistro table and two About a Chair armchairs from Hay.

The living area of the studio feels bigger than its petite footprint, thanks to the high, slanted ceiling and clerestory windows.

The living area of the studio feels bigger than its petite footprint, thanks to the high, slanted ceiling and clerestory windows.

A Resource Furniture wall bed folds down for overnight guests.

A Resource Furniture wall bed folds down for overnight guests.

Double doors separate the studio from the main house, and a Fleetwood slider opens the reading nook to the courtyard.

Double doors separate the studio from the main house, and a Fleetwood slider opens the reading nook to the courtyard.

After: Reading Nook 

In the reading nook, a coffee table and Case Study chairs by Karimoku are joined by a Normann Copenhagen couch.

In the reading nook, a coffee table and Case Study chairs by Karimoku are joined by a Normann Copenhagen couch.

Inside, Blaine set a light and soothing tone with whitewashed cork floors, fluted tile, and custom white oak millwork. "The idea of the meditation pavilion also surfaced in the interior design," says Blaine. "The client wanted a Zen space."

It’s also light in terms of its environmental footprint. "This is my first all-electric Eichler," says Blaine. Instead of a boiler, a heat pump warms the radiant heated concrete floors—and the home has plenty of solar panels and battery storage. In fact, when the power went out for three days due to a recent storm, it was the only house on the block that wasn’t affected. "Their lives were not interrupted by them getting cut off from the grid," says Blaine.

Before: Kitchen 

Before: The owners needed a bigger kitchen, with better storage and prep space.

Before: The owners needed a bigger kitchen, with better storage and prep space.

After: Kitchen 

The expanded kitchen has a large central island with room for prep, seating, storage, and cooking. The cabinetry is a mix of Shinnoki Milk Oak and Fenix NTM Bianco Kos. The terrazzo counters are by Concrete Collaborative. The island is partially clad in Mutina Rombini fluted tile, and the backsplash is Cepac Krave Sugar Tile. "It looks very midcentury modern," says Blaine. "But in this application, it also adds that little touch of depth that I think is really important to making the house feel interesting." The counter stools are from Hay.

The expanded kitchen has a large central island with room for prep, seating, storage, and cooking. The cabinetry is a mix of Shinnoki Milk Oak and Fenix NTM Bianco Kos. The terrazzo counters are by Concrete Collaborative. The island is partially clad in Mutina Rombini fluted tile, and the backsplash is Cepac Krave Sugar Tile. "It looks very midcentury modern," says Blaine. "But in this application, it also adds that little touch of depth that I think is really important to making the house feel interesting." The counter stools are from Hay.

Before: Living Room 

Before: The courtyard makeover vastly improved the living room views.

Before: The courtyard makeover vastly improved the living room views.

After: Living Room 

A Karimoku case study chair and ottoman provides a spot to sit between the living room and reading nook.

A Karimoku case study chair and ottoman provides a spot to sit between the living room and reading nook.

A Karimoku case study couch and Woud Arc coffee table sit in the living room, which opens to the refreshed backyard.

A Karimoku case study couch and Woud Arc coffee table sit in the living room, which opens to the refreshed backyard.

According to architect August Strotz, who worked on Eichler homes in the 1950s, "the atrium had a tremendous influence on the family life"—and that’s proven to be true for Blaine’s clients. The kids can lounge in the reading nook while one parent cooks in the kitchen and the other works in the office—and they can still interact with a smile or wave. "Although we are in different spaces, we can all see each other through the glass," says the owner. "We’re all connected." 

Before: Rear Facade 

Before: The homeowners kept the rear facade largely as-is.

Before: The homeowners kept the rear facade largely as-is.

 After: Rear Facade

The patio and the courtyard both feature the same large-format porcelain tile. Blaine added a small bump-out at the end to accommodate a larger primary suite shower.

The patio and the courtyard both feature the same large-format porcelain tile. Blaine added a small bump-out at the end to accommodate a larger primary suite shower.

After: Primary Bathroom

The primary bathroom features the same large-format porcelain tile as the exterior spaces. The vanity counters are Concrete Collaborative terrazzo, and the shower tile is Mutina Rombini, which can also be found on the kitchen island.

The primary bathroom features the same large-format porcelain tile as the exterior spaces. The vanity counters are Concrete Collaborative terrazzo, and the shower tile is Mutina Rombini, which can also be found on the kitchen island.

After: Office

The office offers a serene view of the new courtyard.

The office offers a serene view of the new courtyard.

Floor Plan of Templeton Eichler by Blaine Architects

Floor Plan of Templeton Eichler by Blaine Architects

Builder: KeyCon Inc

Structural Engineering: 4X Engineering

Landscape Design: Q-Gardens

Interior Design: Blaine Architects

Sound Engineer: Zettacomm

Cabinetry: IKD

Melissa Dalton
Dwell Contributor
Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing for Dwell since 2017. Read more of her work about design and architecture at melissadalton.net.

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