Cheng+Snyder transforms suburban Californian backlot into flexible home
The Roommate House by Cheng+Snyder in Oakland exemplifies fresh approaches to planning for ever-changing demographics

Cheng+Snyder's a modest two-storey, two-bedroom house is located in Oakland, California, and was designed as an antidote to sprawling single-family homes. Described by its architects as a ‘space for two roommates who want to economise on expenses through sharing a home, yet also desire their own rooms’, the house is defined as an ‘Accessory Dwelling Unit’, or ADU, a typology finding increasing favour in a complex housing market.
Roommate House by Cheng+Snyder
Irene Cheng and Brett Synder of the San Francisco Bay Area-based studio built the new structure to the rear of an existing plot, making use of space that was once deemed impossible to build upon. The house itself is small, just 550 sq ft, mostly arranged across a single-storey; only the second bedroom is located upstairs on a small mezzanine, together with access to a compact terrace, to create the required privacy between two ‘roommates’.
The architects describe the project as an exploration of planning possibilities, not only finding the space within the city itself, but also within the plot. On the ground floor are shared living, cooking and bathroom facilities, with services contained within the central third of the plan. On either side are the main bedroom and living space, each with a large glazed opening door.
The second bedroom is set on an enclosed loft mezzanine, reached from a fixed stair in the living room. The rest of the enclosed volume is given over to double-height spaces, making the most of the small footprint by giving the house an airy, spacious feel. White walls inside and out and a polished concrete floor are paired with a wooden kitchen and minimal detailing inside and out.
As the architects point out, the Roommate House was designed to be as flexible as possible. As the name suggests, it can easily accommodate two unrelated roommates, or even a small family. Cheng and Snyder have created a house that is low cost and low profile, easily adaptable to different situations without any compromise on design quality or the availability of light and space.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
The Sinclair name is back, attached to a pocket-sized games console with an educational edge
Grant Sinclair’s name is freighted with early computing history. Wallpaper* tapped up the British inventor to find out more about his new GamerCard console and other innovation
-
Beloved sushi restaurant Sōgo Roll Bar comes to Highland Park
The sushi hangout begins a new chapter in its second location, becoming the perfect spot for a quick grab-and-go or a relaxed tasting experience in east LA
-
Japanese designer Shinichiro Ogata's latest venture is a modern riff on the traditions of his home country
As he launches Saboe, a series of new tearooms and shops across Japan, we delve into Shinichiro Ogata's creative vision, mirrored throughout the spaces and objects, rituals and moments of his projects
-
A 432 Park Avenue apartment is an art-filled family home among the clouds
At 432 Park Avenue, inside and outside compete for starring roles; welcome to a skyscraping, art-filled apartment in Midtown Manhattan
-
Discover this sleek-but-warm sanctuary in the heart of the Wyoming wilds
This glorious wood-and-stone residence never misses a chance to show off the stirring landscape it calls home
-
Inside a Montana house, putting the American West's landscape at its heart
A holiday house in the Montana mountains, designed by Walker Warner Architects and Gachot Studios, scales new heights to create a fresh perspective on communing with the natural landscape
-
Peel back this Michigan lakeside house’s cool slate exterior to reveal a warm wooden home
In Detroit, Michigan, this lakeside house, a Y-shaped home by Disbrow Iannuzzi Architects, creates a soft balance between darkness and light through its minimalist materiality
-
Inside the new theatre at Jacob’s Pillow and its ‘magic box’, part of a pioneering complex designed for dance
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes the reborn Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo, a new space that has just opened in the beloved Berkshires cultural hub for the summer season
-
A Rancho Mirage home is in tune with its location and its architect-owners’ passions
Architect Steven Harris and his collaborator and husband, designer Lucien Rees Roberts, have built a home in Rancho Mirage, surrounded by some of America’s most iconic midcentury modern works; they invited us on a tour
-
Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House – a project built with accessibility at its heart
The dwelling, which you can visit in Illinois, is a classic example of Wright’s Usonian architecture, and was also built for a client with a disability long before accessibility was widely considered
-
Tour this fire-resilient minimalist weekend retreat in California
A minimalist weekend retreat was designed as a counterpoint to a San Francisco pied-à-terre; Edmonds + Lee Architects’ Amnesia House in Napa Valley is a place for making memories