The original driveway was dangerous and impractical due to the steep terrain. The architects designed a new route that slopes gently away from the street and toward a two-car garage and parking court.
Flooring / Light
Kenter Entry & Stairwell
“This house has so many fireplaces,” laughs Bader. Two gas and one wood-burning fireplaces were sourced from Fireplace Stop.
The white oak hardwood staircase between the main and second floor were installed by RK Woodworking. A plywood, MDF-finished guardrail is painted white to match the walls; the handrail features an integrated LED strip light.
The main floor didn’t open up to the backyard or take advantage of the space. Bader and team changed that, removing a slope-roofed extension at the back of the home and rebuilding it to full height with full Bauhaus sliding doors to connect the interior space right out to the garden.
The ensuite is an oasis, featuring a steam shower and peekaboo windows. Stoncrete tiles are from Ciot.
Cheng specified brass schluter inlay between the terrazzo tiles at the floor. "These are installed in an offset Y pattern, which is the first letter of their last name," says the designer.
An homage to Japanese culture, the bathing area includes a steam room and a custom hinoki ofuro (soaking tub) next to a Ming aralia tree. "The house is very particular, and in some ways it’s very ‘designed,’ but it’s also really informal,
An Oslo apartment by architect Johan Tran features a Nordic and Japanese sensibilities. A Japanese-inspired sliding door made of birch plywood acts as a flexible room divider.
"I often choose finishes that allow the natural texture to show through, and finishes that emphasize the cathedrals and burls of the graining,
The built-in shelves in the lounge were designed to include art niches for Gail’s sculptures.
Knight swapped in much more expansive glass doors that wrap a corner and run the length of the basement’s rear room, in order to create better connection at multiple points between the courtyard and the interior.
Solk thickened the fireplace wall to two feet deep, and packed in storage capabilities around the newly refinished fireplace, which now has large-scale porcelain tile surrounding it.