Something about unfinished business just doesn’t sit right—and that goes for spaces, too. A partial renovation in the ’90s left this Oakland home feeling clunky and awkward, with clashing styles and massings. But the homeowners (a Las Vegas–based couple who work in finance and have two children) saw the potential beneath the clutter; the lot, after all, offers sweeping views of the Bay Area that no dated reno could hide. So they tapped husband-and-wife team Kerstin and Andrew Fischer of Fischer Architecture to start from (almost) scratch and create a home worthy of the striking views.

Before: Exterior

After: Exterior

The Fischers call the project Merriewood in a nod to the site’s original midcentury housing development—but that’s a rare reference to the home’s past. It’s received an almost completely fresh start. “Some expense had been put into it, but not in a thoughtful way,” says Andrew. “But underneath it all, there were some good bones.” They stripped it down to the studs, and used those good bones as the foundation for 6,450 square feet of cohesive, minimalist design.

Before: Hallway

After: Hallway

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

The project preserved the footprint and general layout, but the flow is now highly refined. “In modern architecture, there are not a lot of places to hide,” says Andrew. “One space leads to the next, and all connections need to be rather precise and thought-out. The challenge here was trying to make that happen within the confines of the footprint.”

Before: Bedroom

After: Bedroom

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The result is a home more-or-less defined by its volumes, each connected with large openings to the view, to the decks, to the beautiful landscaping. Modified rooflines, skylights galore, and a folding wall of windows highlight the grand views. Natural light flows in from all angles.

Before: Bathroom

After: Bathroom

A simplified material palette takes cues from nature, applied with contemporary flair to industrial forms. “The family wanted it to be modern and open, but with a warmth,” says Andrew. Natural woods and natural stones bring that element of quiet texture, keeping the sleek, grand spaces from feeling too sterile or serious. Outside, Boxleaf Design took charge of the landscape architecture, creating an oasis that’s heavy on the Japanese Maple. (A pool is planned for phase two.)

Before: Landscaping

After: Landscaping

The Fischers played with darkness and light throughout, too: Black walnut flooring, for instance, leads right up to a full wall paneled in bleached behind the dining table. The kitchen is a study in contrasts. The perimeter is finished with dark materials (“It helps with the connection with the outside: You see past the cabinets, and to the view,” says Andrew) while the island is a vision of light in Carrara marble.

One thing any Californian designer needs to consider in 2022 is the possibility of wildfire. Fischer Architecture selected noncombustible, fire-rated materials throughout, including boards of Swiss Pearl that wrap the family room and bedrooms. Other volumes are paneled with large swathes of steel.

Before: Entryway

After: Entryway

Before: Patio

After: Patio

Though the new Merriewood is virtually unrecognizable from its former self, those timeless views remain. And now, as the kids run from room to room and their happy parents entertain on the sweeping deck, the only business left here is to pour one more drink from that dreamy home bar.

Before: Stairway

After: Stairway

More Before & After stories:

Fresh Finishes Bring a Bay Area Eichler Into the Future

A Berkeley Cottage Grows to Embrace Its Boulder-Studded Site

A Gloomy San Francisco Garage Is Retooled as a Charming English Cottage

Project Credits:

Architecture and Interior Design: Fischer Architecture / @fischerarchitecture

Builder/General Contractor: Plath and Co.

General Contractor, Structural Engineer: Strandberg Engineering

Civil Engineer: Lea and Braze Engineering Inc. / @leabrazeengineeringinc

Landscape Design Company: Boxleaf Design Landscape Architecture / @boxleafdesign

Color Consultant: Color Folio Design

Home Automation: Chamberlux Automata / @chamberlux

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