Old | New

The main floor powder room is behind the wall.

To create a strong connection between the home and the spacious rear garden, the couple emphasized spaces at the rear of the home and added full-height sliding pocket doors for unobstructed views of the garden.

Huge header beams and thickened walls allow for a generous opening between the living room and deck, with doors that recess into the wall cavity and a seamless meeting between the indoor floor and the exterior decking.

Sliding glass doors offer expansive views of the rear garden—and they can be opened in the spring and summer months to extend the living space outside.

"The design intent was to calm down the geometry of the house," says Blue Truck Studio’s Peter Liang of the renovation.

Now, a cozy family room occupies the first floor. The hearth and floor are the same limestone running throughout, while the Laurel Side Table and Moroso Klara Rocking Chair sit nearby.

Kiyoko Loh relaxes inside a concrete structure, one of three original buildings that occupied the San Francisco property she and her husband, Elliot Loh, purchased in 2012. Working with architect Todd Davis, the couple decided to cut the bunker-like edifice in half and use it as an outdoor dining area that opens to a courtyard.

City House by SMS Arquitectos features a second-floor townhouse extension that explores new possibilities with plywood.