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This wooden staircase doubles as kitchen shelving in the English designer's home. Tyler hired David Restorick, a furniture maker and friend, to build a staircase that doubles as display space for Tyler's vast collection of colorful cookware.

The dining room table is a custom creation made by the client from a single slab of myrtle wood. Just inside the back entrance is a built-in cabinet crafted from the same source slab, creating a feeling of connection and flow throughout the interior.

The point of contact between the bridge and the original structure coincides with the location of the existing back door, preserving the functionality of the central gallery while ensuring minimal disturbance to the exterior of the original house.

“The bridge is a transitional feature that represents the connection between old and new,” says architect Miguel Rivera. “The design is very intentional—a series of frames compresses the space as you move into the existing house, and expands as you move into the addition that opens out to the main courtyard.” It also provides a seismic joint that separates the two different foundations, and incorporates slots for return air intake from the main living area.

The home is connected to a series of five unique outdoor spaces, hence its name: Five Yard House. Each yard takes a different approach to the landscape. The front lawn that faces the street is very orderly and manicured, and it maintains the appearance of the traditional neighborhood. “At one point, we debated a contemporary design for the steps leading up to the front porch—just to hint at the changes happening beyond,” says architect Miguel Rivera. “In the end, however, we decided it was best to adhere strictly to the historic nature of the district.”

One of the major challenges in renovating the century-old bungalow involved replacing the decaying log-pile foundation with 40 new concrete piers while maintaining the integrity of the overall structure.