Palo Alto Idea House: come inside our latest project for decorating tips and eco-friendly innovations - Special Section

Sunset, Sept, 2002 by Ann Bertelsen, Daniel Gregory

Is there a house like this one in your neighborhood? Maybe so. Combining aspects of Prairie- and Craftsman-style architecture, our idea house was originally constructed in 1904. Versions of it--with the same blocky two-story-plus-attic shape, shingle or clapboard siding, hipped roof, and front porch--were built all across the country. Ours was carefully jacked up and trucked from its original site to its current address in University Park, a neighborhood of new and historic residences developed by SummerHill Homes near downtown Palo Alto, California. (To look at a photo of the move, see "From the Editor," page 8.)

The surprises are inside and in the backyard. Interior designer Pamela Pennington explains: "We kept the traditional shell of the house, demolished some interior walls, and created a more open floor plan. The idea was to reevaluate the Arts and Crafts bungalow, adapting it for the way people in the West really live today"

Landscape designers Chris Jacobson and Michael Bliss of Gardenart took a similar tack with the rear garden by turning it into a multifunctional outdoor room. Mark Retherford of the Dahlin Group and Mark Hulbert of C. David Robinson Architects helped develop the new floor plan.

Entry hall

The front door opens to a foyer and stair hall, with the dining room on the left and the living room on the right. Straight ahead is the kitchen-family room. A major goal was to make the interior light and bright, incorporating eco-friendly materials like bamboo flooring in the process. The bamboo is lightweight and very durable because of its hardness. Pennington specified contrasting bamboo insets--like area rugs--by the front and back doors.

GREAT IDEA

Stair patterns

Pennington chose a vertical-stripe bamboo pattern for the stair risers. Combined with the stair rails--which are made of alternating light and dark woods to reinforce the stripe motif--the effect is particularly dramatic and puts a contemporary spin on the Craftsman practice of treating a stairway as a piece of furniture.

Living room

We opened up a passage between the living and family rooms (previously, the living room had been a dead-end space accessible only from the front hall). Adding the passage made the fireplace opening off-center, which gives it a sculptural quality. A simple mantel made of built-up molding runs the width of the fireplace wall, creating a crisp, contemporary look. The wall and trim colors continue into the adjacent family room, visually connecting the spaces.

Family room

The kitchen flows smoothly into the family room, where the furniture is elegant and casual. The four swivel chairs offer versatility. Each has its own drink table, so when all are turned toward the plasma television, the space becomes a mini-theater. A long, glass-fronted storage bench runs under the windows on one side of the room. At the rear, beside windows overlooking the garden, is a reading nook with a poppy-print chaise.

Dining room

Richly glazed red walls are a colorful accent to the home's light, airy look. A built-in buffet cabinet adapts a key Craftsman feature for today. The host and hostess dining chairs are upholstered in a poppy print--updating a favorite early-20th-century flower theme--and echo the chaise in the family room.

Kitchen

Pennington took a yin/yang position in the kitchen, breaking up the large center island with two types of stone--white marble (ideal for making candy or pastry) and honed charcoal limestone--set in a sensuous, curving pattern. The effect is echoed in the limestone countertops and white tile backsplash. A window banquette draws the eye with a dramatic tabletop made of recycled glass embedded in a cement matrix.

GREAT IDEA

Divide and conquer

A focal point is the Craftsman-inspired room divider that functions as a bookcase on one side and bench on the other. The sturdy bench, positioned by the back door, is a great place for resting packages on the way to or from the garage and driveway.

Master suite

The second-floor master suite faces neighboring homes, so the challenge was to keep the room soft and romantic while offering light and privacy. Our silk combination curtains were the solution: Their sheer tops let in diffused light, while solid shantung bottoms offer screening. The neutral curtains blend easily with the soft gray carpet and wall color.

Basement

The basement was added to the home's original plan, and in it we were able to slip a large media room, guest room, wine cellar, and laundry. All boast natural light except the wine room, thanks to small light wells at the side of the house and a large light well at the rear. To give the small light wells visual appeal, we filled them with variously sized bamboo stalks, creating the impression of an exotic landscape.

GREAT IDEA

Light wells and more

The largest of the light wells is actually a small sunken patio that's accessible from the media room through French doors. The key feature is a soothing wall fountain--water spills from a large, horizontally mounted bamboo stalk into a ceramic basin. The fountain is framed by tall bamboo planted in containers resting on a bed of recycled glass balls. A carved bench at one side faces bamboo canes artfully composed on the other. The effect is spare and contemplative, like a miniature Zen garden.