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Collection by Leah Williams

rancher

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Light and air flows seamlessly from the entrance (the yellow front door) through the open living spaces.
Light and air flows seamlessly from the entrance (the yellow front door) through the open living spaces.
A macramé wall hanging serves as large-scale, textural artwork in this sitting room.
A macramé wall hanging serves as large-scale, textural artwork in this sitting room.
LED lighting playfully highlights the zig-zag form created where the timber stairs met the wall.
LED lighting playfully highlights the zig-zag form created where the timber stairs met the wall.
The sitting room features a central fireplace framed by marble and warm wood, a wall of glass, and the original terrazzo floors.
The sitting room features a central fireplace framed by marble and warm wood, a wall of glass, and the original terrazzo floors.
Completed in 1953 by architect Harry Nakahara, this home sits at the end of a cul-de-sac in Berkeley Hills and was specifically designed to take advantage of the panoramic views of the Bay Area bridges, city skyline, and Mount Tamalpais. The majority of the home's original features—including the layout, finishes, and light fixtures—are still intact, while specific updates to the kitchen have been made.
Completed in 1953 by architect Harry Nakahara, this home sits at the end of a cul-de-sac in Berkeley Hills and was specifically designed to take advantage of the panoramic views of the Bay Area bridges, city skyline, and Mount Tamalpais. The majority of the home's original features—including the layout, finishes, and light fixtures—are still intact, while specific updates to the kitchen have been made.
A tired midcentury in Eagle Rock with a chalky-green facade was transformed into a warm, contemporary home for a couple and their two daughters. The original single-level house had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small kitchen, a concrete deck in the backyard, and an above-ground swimming pool beside the guest house. "The first thing we did was put in white oak hardwood floors throughout the house, then add the Fleetwood sliding doors off of the living room. Eventually, we added a bedroom, extended the master bedroom and added an ensuite bathroom, enclosed the washer/dryer area, which expanded the kitchen, built a wood deck, wood fences, and then remodeled the guest house. No room was untouched by the time we were finished," says Matt, a woodworker and designer who is also the founder of L.A. handcrafted furniture brand Monroe Workshop.
A tired midcentury in Eagle Rock with a chalky-green facade was transformed into a warm, contemporary home for a couple and their two daughters. The original single-level house had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small kitchen, a concrete deck in the backyard, and an above-ground swimming pool beside the guest house. "The first thing we did was put in white oak hardwood floors throughout the house, then add the Fleetwood sliding doors off of the living room. Eventually, we added a bedroom, extended the master bedroom and added an ensuite bathroom, enclosed the washer/dryer area, which expanded the kitchen, built a wood deck, wood fences, and then remodeled the guest house. No room was untouched by the time we were finished," says Matt, a woodworker and designer who is also the founder of L.A. handcrafted furniture brand Monroe Workshop.
After searching for the perfect plot of land on which to build their dream home, a couple instead opted to purchase a "Rummer" home -- a typical example of a low-key midcentury modernist house constructed by a local developer, Robert Rummer, in the 1960s. The five-bedroom, 2,400-square-foot post-and-beam house was strongly reminiscent of California Eichlers, and exemplified the couple’s ideal layout, but was in serious need of a major renovation. The revamp maintained the great expanses of glass, wide-open interiors, and indoor-outdoor living, and added new white concrete floors installed, fixed the radiant heating, updated the kitchen and bathrooms, and new landscaping.
After searching for the perfect plot of land on which to build their dream home, a couple instead opted to purchase a "Rummer" home -- a typical example of a low-key midcentury modernist house constructed by a local developer, Robert Rummer, in the 1960s. The five-bedroom, 2,400-square-foot post-and-beam house was strongly reminiscent of California Eichlers, and exemplified the couple’s ideal layout, but was in serious need of a major renovation. The revamp maintained the great expanses of glass, wide-open interiors, and indoor-outdoor living, and added new white concrete floors installed, fixed the radiant heating, updated the kitchen and bathrooms, and new landscaping.