21 HOUSE

 
 

This remodel of a kitchen and bathroom in a San Francisco Victorian home explores the effects of transparency in both the literal/material sense and the phenomenal sense.

 
 

Exterior and interior glass walls allow light to create a continuously shifting reading of space that is dependent on the time of day.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A glass box becomes the perfect layer of separation between the communal nature of the kitchen and the private nature of the bathroom.

 
 
 

The translucent wall speaks of sensuality and voyeurism. During the day, light enters the bathroom from the south-facing kitchen, creating a bright, warm interior that accentuates the experience of bathing.

 
 
 
 
 
 

In contrast, the translucent volume glows green at night through the use of jelled fluorescents, becoming a beacon for the gleaming kitchen.

 
 
 
 
 

Old and new are integrated without obvious historical or stylistic references. We reinterpreted the order of the Victorian house by aligning the front and back doors and creating distinct program volumes.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Custom steel doors and sections for the exterior and interior glass walls convey the notion of craftsmanship and tectonics, linking old and new in a reciprocal dialogue.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Publications

2003/10 Metropolitan Home

2003/08 SF Chronicle Magazine

2003/02 California Homes

2002/09 SF Chronicle