Raising the ceiling and adding curves

Lifting the roof as part of a new kitchen extension created this bright, lofty space that contrasts with the lower-ceilinged rooms nearby. The pitch of the ceiling remains the same, but it now rises 44 inches above the level of the old ceiling. The new roof rests on posts added above a main ridge beam, and on the tall new wall of the kitchen extension.

Above the old ridge beam, new clerestory windows let daylight brighten the kitchen and hall. Windows in the upper-level side walls and a circular skylight above the landing add to the airiness.

Instead of extending to the new ceiling, the kitchen walls are only 8 feet high. The concave curve of one of the walls cuts off a corner of the kitchen but makes the landing mor spacious.

An 18-inch-deep beam starts subtly at the landing wall and wraps around the kitchen. Made of plaster-covered layers of 1/4-inch plywood, it arcs above the concave door space, continues along the kitchen wall, and gently splits into three graduated curves near the dining room, as pictured above. Formed around heavy cardboard tubes 8, 12, and 16 inches in diameter, these crescent-shaped curves house small down lights. A marble pattern painted on the curve contrasts with the white walls everywhere else.

Designers: John Link of Berkeley and John Shurtz of Mill Valley, California.

Photo: Seen from kitchen side, custom-made curved doors slide along tracks into wall pockets

Photo: Concave and convex curves make the most of the landing and create a sculptural accent on the hall side. Old ceiling level over living, dining rooms shows at rear

Photo: Painted to resemble marble, plywood beam breaks into three sections formed around cardboard tubes. Undersides are light panels