How This Renovated Edwardian Bridges Past + Present In San Francisco
Not far from the landmarked Grateful Dead House in San Francisco sits a 1910 Edwardian abode, built in the pastoral hills of Ashbury Heights after the 1906 earthquake. Home to a family of four, it was recently renovated by Spiegel Aihara Workshop
(SAW), whose cofounder, architect Dan Spiegel, sought an intervention befitting its historic context.
“In San Francisco, the path to the contemporary moment is not always linear,” begins Spiegel, who worked alongside cofounding partner Megumi Aihara on the project. “This is a city, and a neighborhood in particular, that approaches the present and even the future on multiple timelines simultaneously.”
Spiegel Aihara Workshop Brings This San Francisco Edwardian To Life
Exterior facade of the home.
Thus, the architect conceived a titular renovation centered around the common quarter-round molding, oft used to blend and conceal gaps between transitory spaces. “It is a bridge between parts, and a graceful way of gradually ascending,” muses Spiegel. The home maintained its first and second story envelope while gaining nearly 1,000-square-feet of vertical space. A rectilinear volume added above the facade’s existing bay window blends seamlessly, with new Santa Barbara smooth stucco in a custom, moody purple pigment.
Inside, the programming was a bit more challenging, with the century-old kitchen and dining room relying on skylights for illumination. Working around these apertures, Spiegel built the third floor without blocking light by conceiving a series of lightwells throughout the home, channeling sunshine from the terrace through otherwise narrow corners, and adding more skylights, 10 in total. The primary bath is compact—its widest space a mere 3 feet—yet ingenious dimensions and oversized hallway portals increase depth perception, while lightwells animate shadows and absorb yellow-tinted hues from the tiled roof above.
Pops Of Color & Oak Millwork Shine In These Spaces
The 6-by-9-foot reading nook has curved white oak millwork platform and stacked bookshelves leading to another skylight and is a favorite space of the clients’ young children.
The sculptural stair, comprised of eight white oak parallelograms and custom steel handrail, unites the four-level home, illuminated by Michael Anastassiades’s conical suspension light.
In the primary bathroom, the tub is surrounded by Fireclay tiles in Adriatic Sea, contrasting off-white matte vanity tiles and terrazzo-like honed concrete Venice floor tiles by Concrete Collaborative.
Spiegel Aihara Workshop Updates The Quarter-Round House For A New Era
The decking is sustainable bamboo composite, and landscape design was led by cofounding partner Megumi Aihara.
Cadmium yellow subway cement tiles clad one of two lightwells, drawing sunlight into the void below.
Original coffered ceilings were painted periwinkle by designer Melani Love, who also sourced floral fabrics and wallcoverings, and vintage-inspired chandeliers.
The new third floor has closets backed by metal-mesh panels allow objects to be neatly stored, while inviting natural light from above.
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