Noe Residence
An old Noe Valley cottage is transformed into a modern urban retreat with a massive wine cellar to boot.
What San Francisco complicates with limited parking and tricky slopes, it makes up for with stunning views of the Bay. That’s exactly the attitude a Noe Valley neighborhood homeowner brought to her remodel. San Francisco–based firm Studio VARA was contracted to transform a 1908 cottage with a history of incohesive alterations into a beautiful, practical 3,500-square-foot space. The all-female architectural/engineering team’s careful attention to detail paid off with a comfortable urban retreat that equally reflects the history of the original cottage and the homeowner’s needs.
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Studio VARA explains “the project’s success lies in the judicious use of carefully executed moments," such as wood screen that recreates the privacy of now-trimmed tree branches. Studio VARA also cites a "subtle palette of ‘warm’ mixed with ‘cool’ that recurs in both tone and materials: wood juxtaposed with glass, metal against stone.”
The architects wanted to create as much of a buffer as possible against the urban traffic outside the kitchen. A clerestory window manages to maintain a visual connection with the neighborhood while blocking its noise. The kitchen features Pleat Box pendant lights from Marset and Lio Stools by Roberto Barbieri for Zanotta.
