How do you modernize a 1970s-era, split-level home situated on a steep hillside with a chopped-up layout to capitalize on the views while maintaining warmth and intimacy? That was the challenge facing architect Keith Kirley and interior designer Heather Kendall Bernstein when they took on a renovation project in Kentfield for a couple with teenage children. While the clients had already renovated the private spaces of the 3,700-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom home, it took a number of years before they felt ready to tackle the main area. Located downstairs from the primary entrance, the living room, dining room and family room were all separate, and the kitchen was dated and buried into the center of the floor plan.
“The individual rooms really broke up the flow, so our work was focused on trying to open up the floor plan and bring light into the core of the home,” says Kirley, the managing and founding partner at Larkspur-based Kirley Architects. “The home was also designed with a lot of cantilevers — it was unlike any other building we’ve worked on.”
On the design front, Bernstein was tasked with elevating the aesthetic, which she achieved with a monochromatic palette and many custom furnishings that are tailor-made for entertaining. “The clients are very hip and cool, so we wanted to lean in on a contemporary look,” says Bernstein, owner of Kentfield-based HKB Interior Design.
The team’s first task was to remove the dividing walls — a feat that required structural modifications due to the unique architecture. “Another challenge in designing this big, open floor plan was finding ways to create definition in each room,” Kirley says. “One way we did this was to leave a cased opening to the living room so that it still feels like a different space to find a quiet moment.”
The team also reprogrammed the kitchen, including removing an awkward pass-through window, to better connect it to the other spaces on the main floor and reveal the views through the dining room’s newly enlarged floor-to-ceiling windows. A new island features a distinctive one-quarter waterfall design crafted with Calacatta marble, which is also used for the countertops and backsplash in the kitchen and adjacent bar, as well as for cladding the range hood. Clever storage solutions abound inside the new custom rift-sawn white oak cabinets built by Gary Arrigo of Design Line Cabinetry in San Rafael, including a push-latch niche next to the Wolf range; a large walk-in pantry; and a dumbwaiter that descends to the garage on a lower level — one of the home’s original features that the owners wanted to preserve. Unassuming flush mount lighting above the island illuminates the workspace without detracting from the views. “The kitchen looks sleek, but it’s also very functional,” Bernstein says.
In the dining area, Bernstein complemented the clients’ existing table and sideboard with an Allied Maker chandelier and sconces, Design Within Reach chairs and a large-scale portrait made from scraps of recycled denim by Turkish artist Deniz Sagdic — all set against the backdrop of the stunning natural scenery.
The family room also received an upgrade. The focal point is now the fireplace, which was relocated from the far corner to the center of the room, wrapped in limestone and flanked by two floating benches — another structural feat — and large windows. Furnishings include custom sectionals with dual chaises that are designed to be visually appealing from all angles in the newly opened space and custom coffee tables.
The windows were also enlarged in the living room, where Bernstein softened the hard angles of the architecture and honed travertine-clad fireplace with rounded furnishings, including a curved custom sofa, bubbly Design Within Reach chairs, sinuous Souda fiberglass-reinforced concrete side table, custom cylindrical ebonized wood side table and recycled copper OHLA Studio floor lamp. One of the biggest challenges to renovating the space, however, arose when the team uncovered a giant boulder at the base of the stairwell buried beneath a stone planter added by a previous owner. Unable to remove the rock, which was part of the original architecture, they came up with a creative solution. “We essentially worked around it by creating a built-in reading nook over the rock and manipulating the stairs,” Kirley says. Now, the cozy, sunny skylit space is one of the owners’ favorite spots in the home.
Details
What: 3,700 square-foot, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath 1978-era home
Where: Kentfield
Architecture: Kirley Architects
Interior design: HKB Interior Design
