Twin Gables: A Mid-century Eichler House in Silicon Valley Gets a Minimalist Update
When Isabelle Olson and Matthaeus Krenn toured the twin-gabled mid-century house in Sunnyvale, designed by A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons in 1962 for Eichler, they knew they had found a gem. Only problem was, it had been through several unfortunate renovations, the sum total of which was outdated and off-putting.
“A primary goal of the renovation was to peel back the many layers of remodels that had occurred over the previous decades, which meant pulling out shag carpet, mirrored walls, and old cabinetry to make room for a more refined material palette,” says San Francisco-based architect Ryan Leidner, who was brought onboard to sensitively reimagine the home for the couple, both designers who work in tech, and their two young children.
Ryan walked the line between restoration (preserving the footprint, freshening up the wood ceiling) and renovation (knocking down a wall for an open-concept kitchen and living area) with balance and restraint. Let’s take a look at the results.
Photography by Joe Fletcher, courtesy of Ryan Leidner Architecture.
Above: The exterior of the house, originally called Plan OJ-1605. “The front façade was re-clad with red cedar strips which were cut at alternating depths to create a vertical pattern that echoes the original grooved plywood siding while concealing a flush garage door,” says Ryan.
Above: The front door leads to this inner courtyard, around which the home is built. The landscape design is by Stephens Design Studio.
Above: Eichler homes are known for their prioritization of indoor-outdoor living. The living room enjoys views of (and access to) both the courtyard and the pool on the other side. Nearly every room has access to the outdoors.
Above: “Wanting to celebrate the logic of the house’s existing post and beam structural system, walls were strategically removed to create more openness in the floor plan, while a large set of pocketing, sliding glass doors were added to the rear façade, which allow the interior space to seamlessly flow to the back yard and new pool.”
Above: The sleek kitchen featuring Carrara marble and painted wood cabinets with White Oak accents. The walls and tongue-and-groove wood ceilings were all painted white for cohesiveness.
Above: Thonet chairs surround a Roundish Table from Maruni. “A large-format porcelain tile was chosen for the flooring throughout the house, which allowed for material consistency from the interior spaces to the exterior,” says Ryan.
Above: The master bedroom, with access to the pool and patio.
Above: The master bathroom features the Spoon tub and a wall-mounted sink, both by Agape. A Vitra Cork Stool C adds a bit of natural warmth to the white bathroom.
Above: A bathroom with a view. The fixtures are by Dornbracht.
Above: The cheerful bedroom of one of the couple’s two kids faces the courtyard.
Above: An outward-facing bedroom.
Above: The landscaping was deliberately designed to have a more organic, loose style as a counterbalance to the minimalism of the interiors.
Above: Indoors and out, perfectly blurred.
For more projects by Ryan Leidner, see: