When Jacob and Chandra, a pair of working professionals in Silicon Valley with two small children, bought their first home in 2018, it was a classic 1956 Eichler in a great neighborhood in San Mateo. Realizing that the home would need updating, the couple turned to interior designer Brett Foken, founder of Decorotation Interiors, to get the house move-in ready.

“The home was definitely very outdated, but it had really good bones to work with. Lots of natural light, a really open floor plan, and cool wood paneling,” says Foken. “We definitely tried to honor as many of the original characteristics as we could while we were updating it to make it flow a little bit better.”

Before: Entry

After: Entry

The design team made very few structural changes to the floor plan, other than opening up the wall between the kitchen and living spaces. Doing so allowed the narrow galley kitchen to borrow light from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, and increase the connection between the main living spaces.

“With the couple’s love for cooking and entertaining, the kitchen is the main focal point and all spaces off of it are meant to flow while each serving their own specific purpose,” says the firm.

Before: Kitchen and Dining Room

After: Kitchen and Dining Room

Key Eichler features—such as the large windows, beams at the sloping ceiling, and wood paneling—were kept throughout in order to maintain the home’s character. “There was a balance to be struck in order to honor the original style of the home and reflect the family’s organic modern style,” says the firm.

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Before: Den

After: Den

“The midcentury style of the home presented a challenge for the clients, as they had gravitated towards a more traditional, Craftsman style in the past and had a difficult time envisioning the home’s full potential and how to mesh their personal style with one that felt foreign to them,” says the firm.

The resulting scheme infuses a neutral backdrop with texture and earthy wood tones. For instance, Foken kept wood paneled walls as accents, and repainted fluted wood paneling white, so it acts as a bright, textural accent. Vintage furniture finds mix with family heirlooms and contemporary pieces, while the streamlined profiles of Cedar & Moss lighting further bridge old and new.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

Before: Hallway

After: Hallway

Before: Leo’s Room

After: Leo’s Room

After: Freddie’s Room

Before: Kids’ Bath

After: Kids’ Bath

Before: Master Bath

After: Master Bath

Before: Master Bedroom

After: Master Bedroom

Related Reading: A Tree Grows Right Through the Roof of This Radically Updated Eichler

Project Credits:

Builder: K & L Builders

Lighting Design and Interior Design: Decorotation Interiors (@decorotation_interiors)

Cabinetry Design, Build and Install: Decorotation Interiors, Gilman Cabinets and K&L Builders

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