Architect Transforms a 1970’s San Francisco Home Into An Art-Filled Oasis (House Tour)

Redwood House sits on a hillside in San Francisco’s charming Noe Valley. Originally designed in the 1970s by prominent local architect Albert Lanier, the house has undergone an extensive yet sympathetic renovation by Studio Terpeluk, ushering the home into a new epoch with integrity and vigour.

“When I first walked into the space several years ago, I was completely enamoured with the scale, geometry and volume of it,” says architect Brett Terpeluk in this house tour. “There was something so peaceful, calming and embracing about the space that I felt immediately connected to the architecture.” Retaining this essence was essential to Brett and the clients, and, as such, the scope focused on “leaning up” the decor and interior design, enhancing the existing volumes and increasing the square footage, as documented in this house tour.

As the architect says, the home’s unusual footprint and layout provided intriguing foundations from which to work. “This house is very unique in that instead of having a monolithic house with a street presence and large backyard, it’s broken down into a series of courtyards and volumes.” This stacked approach to architecture results in a combination of moments enlivened by views of the cityscape and landscaping at the house’s edges. As well as sightlines, texture plays an important role in animating the architecture and interior design, which was an intentional move from the architect. The redwood remains a prominent feature and the staircase, which is profiled in the house tour, is one of Brett’s favourite moments for the “haptic feedback” it provides upon touching the handrail.

The clients’ love of colour can be seen in the furniture and art, as well as in the tones throughout, notably the kitchen cabinetry. “We decided the colours should be very high gloss, high vibrancy,” says the architect. Working with a close friend and colour consultant, Beatrice Santiccioli, proved advantageous as the resulting interior design and curation of art sees bold colours realised with softness and subtlety. Cleverly, this colour scheme helps to re-contextualise the redwood within the home, resulting in a newfound sense of harmony – from the kitchen to the bedrooms.

Brett speaks to this sense of unity as being one of the project’s biggest strengths. It creates a condition within which the integrity of the architecture can be appreciated, referring not only to Studio Terpeluk’s insertions but also to original architect Albert Lanier’s design.

00:00 - Introduction to the Art-Filled Oasis
00:46 - The History of the Home
01:43 - A Unique Layout
03:36 - The Textured Material Palette
04:25 - Favourite Moments
05:06 - The Sustainability Practices

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Photography by Joe Fletcher
Architecture by Studio Terpeluk
Build by Saturn Construction
Landscape Design by Monica Viarengo Landscape Design
Engineering by Strandberg Engineering
Colour Consulting by Beatrice Santiccioli
Filmed and Edited by HN Media.
Production by The Local Project

Location: Noe Valley, California, United States

The Local Project acknowledges the traditional territories and homelands of the Indigenous peoples in the United States. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our respective countries and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.

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