Flip House

Like many San Francisco homes, this one poorly integrated its many levels with each other and with its sloping topography and solar orientation.

Instead of selecting a new site or building a completely new home, the existing home was reinvented and reorganized for contemporary living. Contained largely within the existing envelope, this home was remodelled to sui the unique needs of a growing family in a dense urban culture.

The open plan of the second floor allows the kitchen and living room space to look down into this den and outward to the striking city, bay, and garden vista beyond. By recasting the back of the house as its primary façade, with a custom built-in glass wall, we could take advantage of natural light sources. Design incongruities like disconnected staircases were rationalized through recirculation.