The San Francisco midcentury gem that is Beacon House has an interesting origin story. Built in the 1960s to the era's modernist architecture style, full of wood, soft light and open spaces, it is now the family home of an architect and a biologist, who one day, walking down the street, saw it and joked that this would be their ideal home. Their dream soon became a reality when the residence went on the market, and the couple quickly snapped it up. They then went to family friend Vivian Lee of architecture studio Edmonds + Lee, to help with the renovation.
Beacon House: a modernist renovation story
'[The decision] was all heart, no head,' the clients explain. The space had been lovingly preserved by the previous owners, yet still required modernisation, which the architects had to tackle cleverly, considering the home's relatively compact size (compared to the typical residence the studio has worked on in the past). Lee quickly shifted her approach to what she calls a 'jewel box' scale.
The architecture team proceeded, making small alterations and surgical interventions, respecting the home's existing overall character. This meant revisiting the programmatic connections between spaces – switching, for example, the primary bedroom for an office. Clever changes, such as creating a rather 'compressed' foyer that gives way to a dramatic, expanded double-height space beyond, enhance the living experience, adding Frank Lloyd Wright notes. The effect was further defined by a bespoke lighting design plan by Fisher Marantz Stone.
'We wanted to respect and keep the original redwood ceiling, which became a catalyst for the rest of the house,' one of the clients says, emphasising the entire team's inclination to keep a simple, if not restrained material palette that draws on Beacon House's roots.
The fruitful collaboration resulted in a home that feels warm and comfortable, but also impressive in its drama and historic identity. It was a team effort, the architects explain. 'There’s nothing more rewarding than working with another design professional,' Lee says. 'They can really understand your ideas – and they tend to be more critical, so when you do get it right, it’s rewarding.'
-
Multi-functional furniture, integrated planting and a felt landscape shape this new officeZeller & Moye’s new HQ space for a German IT company has been designed to accommodate every kind of office working situation, from introverted cubicles through to flexible open-plan spaces
-
Step inside a Hollywood Hills home where European design meets Californian easeLA studio Broad Project takes us inside its cinematic renovation of a 1960s Spanish Revival home in the Hollywood Hills
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Jnane Rumi: clarity, reflection and connectionIn the quiet tranquillity of Marrakech’s Palmeraie, Jnane Rumi evokes a rich and colourful tapestry of Moroccan art, craftsmanship and design
-
A Rancho Mirage home is in tune with its location and its architect-owners' passionsArchitect Steven Harris and his collaborator and husband, designer Lucien Rees Roberts have built a home in Rancho Mirage, surrounded by some of America’s most iconic mid-century modern works; they invited us on a tour
-
Inside a midcentury modern house so good, its architect didn’t want to mess with it‘I was immediately a little bit frightened, because it was such a great house,’ says architect Casper Mork-Ulnes of Roger Lee-designed gem in Berkeley, California
-
Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House – a project built with accessibility at its heartThe dwelling, which you can visit in Illinois, is a classic example of Wright’s Usonian architecture, and was also built for a client with a disability long before accessibility was widely considered
-
Tour this fire-resilient minimalist weekend retreat in CaliforniaA minimalist weekend retreat was designed as a counterpoint to a San Francisco pied-à-terre; Edmonds + Lee Architects’ Amnesia House in Napa Valley is a place for making memories
-
A New Zealand house on a rugged beach exemplifies architect Tom Kundig's approach in rich, yet understated luxuryThis coastal home, featured in 'Tom Kundig: Complete Houses', a new book launch in the autumn by Monacelli Press, is a perfect example of its author's approach to understated luxury. We spoke to Tom Kundig, the architect behind it
-
Tour architect Paul Schweikher’s house, a Chicago midcentury masterpieceNow hidden in the Chicago suburbs, architect Paul Schweikher's former home and studio is an understated midcentury masterpiece; we explore it, revisiting a story from the Wallpaper* archives, first published in April 2009
-
The world of Bart Prince, where architecture is born from the inside outFor the Albuquerque architect Bart Prince, function trumps form, and all building starts from the inside out; we revisit a profile from the Wallpaper* archive, first published in April 2009
-
Is embracing nature the key to a more fire-resilient Los Angeles? These landscape architects think soFor some, an executive order issued by California governor Gavin Newsom does little to address the complexities of living within an urban-wildland interface
