Openness Rules in a Warm, Modern Home

Openness Rules in a Warm, Modern Home

Architect Wencke Solfjeld obtained a clear directive from her customer, Jody Brettkelly: no formal dining area — or formal anything — at the house, please. “They wanted every single region of the house to be used every day, so we did away with proper spaces entirely,” Solfjeld states. The modern home is located in an Oakland, California, neighborhood full of faux Tudors and colonials. Its eclectic, colorful spirit has a laid back”Come over for a barbie” allure — fitting for a home in which one of those owners hails from New Zealand.

Brettkelly, a blogger, mom of four and proud Kiwi, grew up at a New Zealand surf city where children, dogs and surfboards naturally brought sand and sea into the home. “Our house had huge windows where you can sit and gaze out to sea all day long. I longed for that sort of home for my family in the States and really needed a place where I could invite friends over at the drop of a hat,” she states. “And I believe Wencke and Russ [Dotter, the coarchitect] only did a tremendous job of interpreting our need for this kind of openness in every single portion of the house.”

at a Glance
Who lives here: Jody and Kevin Brettkelly and their 4 kids
Location: Oakland, California
Size: 3,847 square feet
Design challenge: Blend the maze of little, dark rooms that made up the house into an expansive area that welcomed the light and opened to unbelievable views

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

The family rented the house for five years before buying it and beginning its full, down-to-the-studs remodel. “We’ve got four children of varying ages, and sometimes there are 15 children running around at one time,” Brettkelly states. “I needed a home that could encourage our family’s various activities, one that cleaned up easily and may bounce back another day as though nothing happened.”

Pendant lighting: The Lighting Studio

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

The open kitchen area constitutes the house’s central hub. A island countertop used for eating, assignments, entertaining and crafts works really difficult for a family that loves having impromptu parties.

Solfjeld says that pulling from the outdoors and establishing a seamless connection with the surrounding landscape was a challenge with this particular home. “The house does not require much adornment. Jody and Kevin are art collectors as well as the windows already framework such incredible views,” she states.

Kitchen: habit, Steve Strand, Strand Builders; cabinetry: San Francisco Design Center

Before Photo

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

BEFORE: The architect describes the old, ill-placed kitchen for a bit dreary. “It was the way in the back of the house and had no view and no light,” she states.

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

Australian seen gum floors take a beating from get-togethers and fundraisers. “The floors are so tough. We hold a lot of fundraisers for the kids’ public schools , and also the floors have suffered plenty of stiletto marks — but the grain is so varied that you can not view scratches,” states Brettkelly. Low-maintenance plastic furniture and white decor and surfaces lend the home a clean, fresh feel.

Floors: Amber Flooring; rope torso: San Francisco Design Center; chandelier: The Lighting Studio

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

Native plants root the home to its surroundings, and walking up to the property’s entry enables you to experience the property’s interior in a subtle way. “We repeated a few of the colors of the home in the landscaping; the door and door volume expressions provide a flavor of things to expect in the rest of the house,” states Solfjeld.

Door and exterior paint: Dark Celery, Benjamin Moore

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

Log-filled markets (one is visible here) add texture and dimension to the right lines and angles of the entry. “Our neighbors are so sweet during the remodel, but I know there was this fear that our home would be cold and boxy,” states Brettkelly. “I’d love to believe that the house is a kind of warm modern and really matches its surroundings.”

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

Solfjeld and her staff installed Nana doors and bay windows throughout the house, blending the indoor and outdoor living spaces. Outdoor furniture has discovered a place inside, throwing the space a few curves.

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

Brettkelly loves the color and warmth of her home and purposely blended wicker furnishings with glossy-finished modern kitchen decor. “I love color. I really like eclecticism. I am Kiwi — we’ve got such an informal culture and really don’t take ourselves too badly,” she states. “I believe my coastal Kiwi spirit shines through at the house.”

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

The architects and their staff installed white Ceasarstone on the island and the extraordinarily long kitchen countertop. “It’s affordable and looks great all of the time,” Brettkelly states.

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

The luxurious master bathroom joys both the clients and Solfjeld, who states the couple formerly had a massive master bedroom and a”nothing” bath. “I transferred them to a room, but what they lost in space for the master bedroom, they gained in the luxurious bath and the unbelievable view that accompanies it,” she states.

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

Big, unadorned windows above the vanity framework the best view in the house. “But we needed mirrors,” Solfjeld states. “So we attached a set of mirrors to the windowsill, which makes them look as they’re only floating midair. Their placement lets Jody and Kevin enjoy and optimize the relatively unobstructed views, and they even repeat the views of the back windows by the tub.”

Bathroom: habit, layout by Dotter & Solfjeld, construction by Steve Strand, Strand Builders; fittings: Rapsel

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

The architect recalls that she and her staff stood on the street several times so they could determine the perfect placement for those windows — one that gave views from the interior while still keeping up the couple’s privacy from passersby. “You may be naked inside the bathroom and nobody will see you.”

Dotter & Solfjeld Architecture + Design

You can stand at the backyard and see all the way through to the front of the home. “I love the way the house seems to exhale; it’s this open, airy feel,” states Brettkelly.

The contrast of hardscaping and artificial turf on the ground repeats the gray and green color contrast in the house’s facade. “I really like the AstroTurf,” Brettkelly states. “The children can play it for hours and hours, and it preserves its softness, its color. Our puppy will poop on it, and all I have to do is clean it up with water. It’s low maintenance, exactly like the rest of the house.”

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