BERKELEY HILLS REMODEL
This renovation of a classic Berkeley hillside home respects the space and ambiance of its origins while it reinvigorates with modernist touches. The fireplace was replaced by a composition of cabinetry, metal shelves and a concrete surround for the ethanol fireplace. The wood is Japanese Ash (“Sen”). A narrow bas relief of wasabi green plaster embedded with black bamboo twigs sits over the ½” thick powder-coated plate steel. It is punctuated by a new, large plate glass window that frames the verdant tree line outdoors. Two large glass sliding doors were added to separate the tatami room from the living room. Co-planer panels on the wall cabinet pop out and slide to either side to reveal a large format television screen and entertainment center.
The kitchen was fully remodeled, but the windows were left intact to avoid the expense of costly exterior work. The induction cooktop sits on a quartz and sculpted, cast concrete peninsula work counter. The spice cabinet on the adjacent wall echoes the living room elevation with a hint of the Japanese ash and the powder-coated steel.
We reclad the walls of the front porch entry with charcoal gray ceramic tile. A Sen clad pivot door with a signature, custom porthole contrasts the walls and warms the space.