Hosono House is an urban retreat in the heart of San Francisco

Hosono House is this rare gem of a project – an unusual urban setting that has been completely and utterly transformed into an unexpected domestic haven. Ryan Leidner Architecture worked with ‘an interesting setting’, making the most of a structure built at the rear of its plot in San Francisco’s hilly, Bernal Heights neighbourhood, to craft a family home with a distinct feeling of seclusion – a true, green, urban retreat. 

Hosono House is a San Francisco domestic haven

The remodelling of an existing building, Hosono House was unusually set back on its property. This gave the architects the opportunity to create a strong sense of privacy – a sanctuary for their clients, a couple of lovers of Italian design and furniture. At the same time, ‘looking to reimagine what was a rather awkward layout, the project reorganised the spaces, creating a new entry stair and front façade with large openings offering views onto the garden’, the architects explain.

A bridge flies over the sloped, richly planted site, leading visitors to the home's main entrance, on a half-level landing. Hosono House's impressive, double-height main living space and kitchen are up just one flight of stairs, nestled at the top of the building. The bedrooms are located downstairs.

Ryan Leidner and his team worked with the building's existing wood beams and ceiling, which were were refinished and left exposed, while combining them with minimalist architecture, clean surfaces and muted tones throughout. Here, natural wood tones meet flowing white surfaces, creating a home designed as a 'relaxed social space'. Meanwhile, generous yet strategically placed geometric openings maintain the owners' privacy while allowing looks out towards the city, or the garden's foliage, orchestrated by landscape experts Stephens Design Studio. 

The decor mixes vintage Italian, Japanese and Californian modernism influences. There is, for instance, a custom-made dining table by local furniture maker Nobuto Suga, a set of vintage ‘Tucroma’ chairs by Guido Faleschini, and a ‘Locus Solus’ tubular armchair by Gae Aulenti. 

A ground-level lounge serves as a cosy family room and opens up to the lower courtyard and nature beyond. ‘Inspired by the warm atmosphere of a whisky bar in Tokyo, the floors, walls and ceiling are clad in wide-plank white oak, and a record-playing station overlooks the space. A custom velvet daybed offers a place to relax and enjoy views onto the garden,' the architects write. 

ryanleidner.com