Beacon House is the contemporary rebirth of a midcentury San Francisco home
Beacon House by Edmonds + Lee Architecture is a renovation project that sensitively brings a modernist San Francisco home into the 21st century
![Beacon House, as seen from the street, all renovated modernist glory with steps up to the main entrance](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/L2XWm24rNBUxQ5gW6VFpPS-415-80.jpg)
The San Francisco midcentury gem that is Beacon House has an interesting origin story. Built in the 1960s to the era's modernist architecture style, full of wood, soft light and open spaces, it is now the family home of an architect and a biologist, who one day, walking down the street, saw it and joked that this would be their ideal home. Their dream soon became a reality when the residence went on the market, and the couple quickly snapped it up. They then went to family friend Vivian Lee of architecture studio Edmonds + Lee, to help with the renovation.
Beacon House: a modernist renovation story
'[The decision] was all heart, no head,' the clients explain. The space had been lovingly preserved by the previous owners, yet still required modernisation, which the architects had to tackle cleverly, considering the home's relatively compact size (compared to the typical residence the studio has worked on in the past). Lee quickly shifted her approach to what she calls a 'jewel box' scale.
The architecture team proceeded, making small alterations and surgical interventions, respecting the home's existing overall character. This meant revisiting the programmatic connections between spaces – switching, for example, the primary bedroom for an office. Clever changes, such as creating a rather 'compressed' foyer that gives way to a dramatic, expanded double-height space beyond, enhance the living experience, adding Frank Lloyd Wright notes. The effect was further defined by a bespoke lighting design plan by Fisher Marantz Stone.
'We wanted to respect and keep the original redwood ceiling, which became a catalyst for the rest of the house,' one of the clients says, emphasising the entire team's inclination to keep a simple, if not restrained material palette that draws on Beacon House's roots.
The fruitful collaboration resulted in a home that feels warm and comfortable, but also impressive in its drama and historic identity. It was a team effort, the architects explain. 'There’s nothing more rewarding than working with another design professional,' Lee says. 'They can really understand your ideas – and they tend to be more critical, so when you do get it right, it’s rewarding.'
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Hideaway House in London features timber panelling inspired by the New York hospitality scene
The elegantly refurbished Hideaway House by Studio McW in London features timber panelling inspired by the Four Seasons in New York
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
IM Pei's Everson Museum of Art gets a modern makeover
The East Wing of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY has been given a contemporary refresh by emerging Los Angeles studio MILLIØNS
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Surrender to these six swim-perfect outdoor hotel pools
Discover the best outdoor hotel pools, from Amankila’s aquatic triptych by Ed Tuttle to Nicolas Party’s swimmable artwork at Le Sirenuse
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
IM Pei's Everson Museum of Art gets a modern makeover
The East Wing of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY has been given a contemporary refresh by emerging Los Angeles studio MILLIØNS
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Black Modernism’s lesser-known, at-risk architecture gems gain a lifeline
Conserving Black Modernism announces vital funding to save and preserve overlooked and endangered buildings by African American architects and designers
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Step into the Blanton Museum of Art's reimagined public realm by Snøhetta in Austin
Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas is completed and reveals its reimagined public realm and plaza designed by Snøhetta
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This New York Townhouse renovation is a lesson in contemporary minimalism
TenBerke’s carefully considered New York townhouse is the reimagining of a century-old Manhattan structure that reframes vertical living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Visit The Frost House, a lesser-known modernist architecture marvel in Michigan City
The Frost House is a lesser-known midcentury architecture gem in Michigan City, Indiana; we took the tour as the property goes on the market
By Audrey Henderson Published
-
Broadway designer Scott Pask’s Arizona retreat is a scene-stealing discovery
Scott Pask invites us inside his Arizona retreat, nestled in the foothills overlooking Tucson – a place to reboot, recharge and commune with nature
By Michael Webb Published
-
Upstate New York retreat Ridge House evokes land art
Ridge House in upstate New York, the work of Brooklyn-based studio Worrell Yeung, is at one with the surrounding countryside
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Rafael de Cárdenas’ first ground-up project is a forever home with waterfront views and hidden treasures
Rafael de Cárdenas reveals his latest completed project in the Pacific Northwest, a family home of calming spaces that bleed the outside in, and ten years in the making
By Ellie Stathaki Published