When architect Malcolm Davis and project manager Elsa Brown signed on to renovate Jen and Adrian’s San Francisco home, they knew they had to bring their A-game. “Jen has a master’s degree in architecture,” Davis explains.

Set in the city’s Inner Richmond neighborhood, on a stretch of road that became pedestrian-only during the pandemic, the property appeared to be the ideal place to raise the couple’s three children—and its historic features, which date back to 1907, also suited their tastes.

“The location couldn’t be better suited for this young family’s active lifestyle,” Davis says. “But while the front of the property was well-preserved, it had disjointed additions that resulted in dim and constricted spaces at the rear.”

Before: Kitchen

The couple hired Davis’s namesake firm to streamline the layout and bring in daylight and outdoor views. Their goal was to make the address as lovely as the neighborhood, without letting their shared passion for the craft run wild.

After: Kitchen

“The clients sought to illuminate and reorganize their historic San Francisco residence, but not completely overhaul it,” Davis says. “That was a stance we were extremely supportive of, and since Jen was a kindred spirit who had similar opinions about the look and feel for the project, we knew that our aesthetics were going to play nicely together from the get-go.”

Before: Dining Area

Over the decades, the property had been home to a fair share of owners with a wider range of aesthetics. The dining room and kitchen were separated, and there was a small deck off both that could be accessed via a set of French doors.

After: Dining Area

The garden beyond could only be reached by a steep staircase, making it seem far away. It felt as if the front of the First Bay Tradition home—with its beautiful, intact facade—gave way to, well, a mess. It was bittersweet, too, that any proposed alterations would undoubtedly go through the wringer.

Before: Backyard

“It is always a challenge to work with historic structures in San Francisco,” Davis says. “They are strongly protected, with good reason, and the planning code has many stipulations about what can and cannot be changed.”

After: Backyard

The team found a solution in keeping the existing entryway and den as is, but opening the rear spaces into a combined kitchen/dining/living room with a lower sunroom. These spaces stretch out onto an expanded deck through a set of glazed doors that virtually disappear, and a series of cascading steps tie in the garden.

Before: Attic

Elsewhere inside, Davis kept the existing staircase but added a second one to take advantage of the height gained from an unfinished attic. Skylights punctuate the roof, while new windows draw light into every corner. There’s even an aperture in the deck that brings sunshine down to a basement bedroom. “Most rooms now receive light from two, if not three directions, creating an interactive and varying quality of light over the course of the day,” Davis says.

After: Attic

“Finding a location for the new staircase up to the newly finished attic was a challenge at the onset of the project,” Davis says. “We didn’t want to overpower the original stair by stacking the new stair on top—it would’ve resulted in the opposite of a light-filled home.”

Before: Staircase

“We solved this with an additional stair hall on the second floor, adjacent to the original,” says Davis. “While it’s not the most spatially efficient solution, it was critical for the light-sharing techniques we employed, and vastly improved the renovation’s outcome.”

After: Staircase

When it came time to focus on the home’s interior, Davis and his team worked closely with Jen. Since the original home was finished in raw brass, they showcased that material as a nod to history—and it features prominently as a defining feature of the kitchen island. Jen selected dark wood floors, while the rest of the home is awash in neutral yet warm tones.

After: Living Room

“We decided to play up that rich coloring on the rear elevation as well, using dark-stained shingles and vertical wood siding on the exterior,” Davis adds. The couple joked that their kids would provide most of the color.

After: Bathroom

“We also wanted the house to patina over time, and to celebrate the family’s life within it,” says Davis. “This was a constant underlying theme as we made design choices.”

After: Bedroom

Construction wrapped at the end of 2020 after about a year-and-a-half of work, and Jen and Davis both feel as if their skills are proudly reflected in this project. “The home is a wonderful combination of my aesthetic and the client’s, and I’m overjoyed that this family has been so happy in it,” he says.

More projects by Malcolm Davis Architecture:

A Weathered Beach House Becomes a Breezy, Live/Work Pad

A Tree House–Like Midcentury Home Peeks Above the Forest Canopy

Before & After: A Jumbled San Francisco Home Gets a Timeless Makeover

Project Details:

Architect of Record: Malcolm Davis Architecture / @malcolmdavisarchitecture

Builder: Jeff King

Structural Engineer: Mosswood Engineering

Landscape Design: Lutsko Associates

Appears In

Before & After: A Choppy San Francisco Home Finds Its Flow After a Mullet Renovation