A 1974 San Francisco Home Is Renovated While Honoring Its DNA


In San Francisco’s layered architectural panorama, few tasks handle to stability legacy and modernity with the finesse demonstrated in Studio Terpeluk’s transformation of the Redwood Home. Initially designed in 1974 by Albert Lanier – an influential modernist and the husband of famend sculptor Ruth Asawa – the residence was already steeped in design significance. Lanier’s signature model, marked by geometry, immersive use of redwood, and a sensitivity to the pure environment, positioned the house as a quiet icon of its time. At present, because of an imaginative renovation, the home lives once more with renewed significance.

Studio Terpeluk’s method to the renovation was neither preservationist within the inflexible sense nor a radical overhaul that erased all its character. As a substitute, the studio embraced the problem of partaking with the house’s architectural DNA, in search of to not exchange it, however to increase it into a recent context. Their philosophy was easy: intervene solely the place essential to reveal the house’s greatest qualities.

Modern living room with a large window view of a city skyline, built-in seating, neutral furnishings, and a pink statue of a terracotta warrior in the corner.

The spatial format was subtly however considerably revised. Rooms that when felt compartmentalized have been opened up, permitting mild to journey extra freely and enabling visible connections that improve the sense of house. Views of the town have been framed, and inside pathways have been realigned to create a smoother move between zones. The result’s a residence that feels each extra expansive and extra cohesive, with out dropping its sense of intimacy.

Modern living room with large windows, wood finishes, built-in bench seating, a brick corner fireplace, and a city view in the background.

One of many renovation’s highlights is its materials palette – a tactile and considerate interaction between previous and new. On the middle is wooden. The house’s authentic heat redwood interiors function a basis for the design. To enrich and stability this, Studio Terpeluk launched reclaimed Douglas fir flooring sourced from former pier pilings – a nod to sustainability. These reclaimed parts introduce a added texture and a lived-in authenticity that enhances the unique surfaces moderately than competing with them.

A modern interior staircase with wood-paneled walls, a skylight casting light on the wall, potted plants, and a yellow cabinet beside the stairs.

Modern open interior with wood-paneled sloped ceiling, yellow sideboard, light wood floors, and natural light from glass doors leading outside.

Elsewhere, supplies similar to terrazzo, poured concrete, and honed grey marble add distinction and depth. These surfaces stability the wood-heavy areas and introduce moments of shock by means of their different patterns and finishes.

A red chair sits in front of a pale green wall in a modern room with wood beams, open shelving, and a kitchen in the background.

Integral to the renovation was an exploration of coloration and lightweight. Studio Terpeluk collaborated with designer Beatrice Santiccioli to create a coloration language that evolves with the structure. Fairly than apply coloration as a static overlay, they developed a nuanced scheme that responds to shifts in daylight, quantity, and performance. Bolder hues greet guests on the higher degree step by step fading into softer tones as one descends – mirroring the transition from public to personal.

Contemporary kitchen with pastel cabinets, open shelving, and marble backsplash; adjacent bookshelf and a green partition under wooden ceiling beams.

A modern dining area with a round table, wooden chairs, a vase of flowers, a large black-and-white cityscape photograph, and wood-paneled walls and ceiling.

A modern home office with wooden shelves filled with books, a large abstract painting on the wall, a black desk, a chair, and a table lamp on a light rug.

A modern room with wood paneling, a large window, a wire lounge chair with a fur throw, an orange floor lamp, a wall-mounted TV, a round side table, and a rug.

A minimalist bathroom with a white vanity, terrazzo countertop, rectangular mirror, and potted plants in clay pots against light pink walls.

Modern wooden staircase with open risers, black metal railing, and a textured wooden wall panel alongside the stairs.

A sculptural staircase crafted in blackened metal connects the 2 ranges and creates a dynamic juxtaposition to the pure woods. It anchors the inside, drawing the attention and reinforcing the house’s verticality.

Modern bedroom with a bed, gray closet, small red stool, and sliding glass door opening to a patio with wooden stairs and potted plant.

The outside of Redwood Home performs an important function within the general expertise, and panorama designer Monica Viarengo was enlisted to reimagine the outside areas with equal thought. Her design begins on the entry courtyard. As guests transfer by means of the property – up into the personal courtyard and down towards the terraced again backyard – the planting scheme shifts from curated and orderly to wild and expressive.

A modern bathroom with a white oval bathtub, a pink towel, a small orange side table with a plant, sheer curtains, and an open sliding door to a terrace.

A modern outdoor patio with a white wire table and chairs, a large potted plant, wooden panel walls, and a staircase leading up.

The newly reclad facades, now wrapped in irregular planks of western pink cedar, unify the house’s visible identification. The wooden’s different grain and tone work organically with the panorama, permitting the home to age gracefully, very similar to a pure factor in its personal habitat.

Modern courtyard with wooden exterior walls, an open staircase, potted greenery, large windows, and a blue wall in the background.

A small backyard patio with a wooden fence, a metal table and two chairs, potted plants, and trees in the background.

Wildflowers grow in the foreground of a garden, with a modern house, patio, and white chairs visible through open glass doors in the background.

For extra data on the Redwood Home or Studio Terpeluk, go to studioterpeluk.com.

Images by Joe Fletcher.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in pictures from SCAD and might often be discovered looking for classic wares, doing New York Occasions crossword puzzles in pen, or remodeling playlists on Spotify.



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