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“My favorite aspect of the project would have to be the custom-built planter/light box suspended over the island bench,” says interior designer Kate Lucas. “The cascading plants bring a gorgeous green accent to the interiors. I also have a soft spot for the herringbone floor.” The custom planter box was built by local furniture maker and friend Lee Gratton of Gratton Design.

It was Elsie, the goldendoodle, who started it. “We were living in a tiny house in the center of Byron Bay with two little children and Elsie in the middle of the wet season,” says homeowner Cheryl Kitchener.

SF Historic Renovation

The founder of Polly Harbison Design transformed the 1940s home where her sister, Margot, resides with her family to include a new kitchen, a bedroom with an outdoor shower, and wide-open garden views. In the main communal areas, floor-to-ceiling glass doors and wooden screens slide open completely, allowing Margot, Ewen, and their three daughters to get fresh air.

The floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and windows were the most expensive line item in the renovation. “The house would simply not be the same without them,” says architect Miguel Rivera. “When you are in the living area with the doors open, it creates one large indoor/outdoor space that is simply stunning.” Just beyond the kitchen, a bookcase in the hallway is painted to appear red from one side and gray from the other.

In the kitchen, Eames chairs flank a custom dining table, and the pendant is by Wever & Ducré.

A look at the dining area. Note how the wood paneling appears to extend straight out into the fence on the exterior.

Authors Geoff Manaugh and Nicola Twilley started writing Until Proven Safe, a book about medieval quarantine architecture, long before COVID-19.