In San Francisco’s vibrant Cow Hollow neighborhood, a meticulous restoration gave new life to a family cottage. Originally designed in 1917 by architect Elizabeth Austin — one of a small handful of American women architects working in the early 20th century — the homeowners tasked Mark English Architects with protecting her vision, while ushering the residence into a new époque.
Throughout the neighborhood, many elements of the Arts and Crafts movement as well as the First Bay Tradition, a local adaptation of the popular East Coast shingle style, are on display. These influences can be seen in the wood shingle siding, brick chimney, asymmetrical facades, varied eave lines and numerous roof gables, which give the building its distinctive charm and gravitas. During the construction process, every piece of external ornament was removed from the building, labeled, and restored to its original state.
Inside, the architects reimagined the layout to facilitate a more contemporary way of life for the clients. As well as converting existing crawl space to habitable square footage and making additions at the first and second levels, they completely opened up the central part of the U-shaped plan. Here, most of the second floor was removed, creating a double-height dining space at the heart of the home. A cantilevered steel and glass staircase wraps the room and a new skylight above floods the void with natural light, emulating the feeling of an atrium. While this bold design move decreased the home’s square footage, it undoubtedly enhances the quality of the space and reveals the home’s innate grandeur.
The materiality is intended to feel relevant and modern, but also fitting for the home’s heritage. Glass, metal and wood are crisp and unfussy — a reflection of the casual and unpretentious clients — and dark rough-sawn wood floors bring warmth. There are also notes of blonde bamboo in the cabinetry and interior window frames, which are new but fabricated in the same size and shape as the originals. With several skylights throughout, including in the primary bathroom, the quality of light is brilliant and views to the garden and surrounding trees brighten the interiors, creating a sense of serenity despite the urban locale.
Photography by Joe Fletcher.
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