Lower level

Ultra-compact apartment with versatile custom-made carpentry furniture.

Ultra-compact apartment with versatile custom-made carpentry furniture.

New white oak stairs connect the upper and lower floors. The homeowner wanted the downstairs apartment for visits from her daughter and young grandchildren, who live in California. La Cantina sliding doors provide easy access to the backyard.

A storage niche just inside the garage entry has three minty-green Shelfology Doohicky hooks and a shoe shelf. Heated terrazzo floors in the kitchen were the idea of one of the homeowner’s daughters, Sarah Smith, who was the lead architect on the project.

In the entryway, stained white-oak cabinetry provides a tidy place for shoes and bags. An unexpected but delightful moment of Brooks Thomas’ Martha Armitage wallpaper adorns the ceiling. The front door is a custom design.

To accommodate an island in the kitchen, they moved an interior wall. “It was the only wall that was relocated,” says Scott.

The kitchen contains countertops and backsplash in stainless steel, which offers a muted softness to the space. "The stainless steel has a very thin profile, so it continues that theme of delicate, light expression which we wanted for the house,

Apart from the kitchen, which was renovated in 1997, the home is all original.

Bertoia side chairs and an Aplomb pendant by Foscarini complete the dining area.

They selected panel-ready appliances from Fisher and Pico for a modern, slick look. Carlos was also adamant on opting for an induction cooktop: “I'm sorry to all the people who consider themselves home chefs, but I'm a big fan of induction. I cook quesadillas and scrambled eggs. I'm not making beef bourguignon,” says Carlos. "My friends have all these beautiful six-burner Viking stoves and it's like everything falls into the stove. Cleaning it is a nightmare. I'm all about efficiency. So I just finish cooking, spray it down, move on, and it looks great.”

The interiors, by Francesca's Interlude Studio, feature simple maple cabinetry and concrete floors.

Vigo Plumbing provided the matte black plumbing fixtures.

A sliding door in the couple’s bedroom is one of several in the home, allowing for easy transitions from privacy to openness. “This house is a connected house, much more so than the first one,” says Kyu Sung.

The new stainless-steel kitchen is fitted with cabinetry and appliances and includes a floating island with a burner and drawers to conceal pots and pans. It’s set on wheels so Martin and Andrew can rotate it to free up floor space as needed while entertaining.

The entry hallway doubles as a library, filled with books related to Chris's vocational life. A kitchenette with a two-burner stovetop and small refrigerator offers a place to prepare simple meals.

The interior walls and ceiling are made of pine, while the bookshelves and desk are fir. Polished concrete floors balance the nearly all-wood material palette.

The living room has a gray rug by Tai Ping Carpets, rust-colored B&B Italia sofas, a pendant by David Weeks, and a frieze of butterflies by artist Kirk Maxon inspired by birds that flutter in the treetops outside Roberta’s balcony. Blinds, pocketed in the soffit above the doors, come down automatically when the sun is too bright.

“Cocktail hour is sacred,” says Roberta. So, in a storage wall (shared by the living area on one side and the kitchen on the other) Bjorngaard tucked in an elegant bar (with a French Pyrolave lava stone counter and backsplash) that has everything she needs for drink service.