Husband and wife team Gretchen Krebs and Ian Read of Northern California architecture practice Medium Plenty are experienced hands when it comes to home renovations. The pair have expertly architecturally upgraded several residences by paying close attention to existing conditions, while inserting modern gestures, light and a sense of spatial generosity into a domestic, everyday setting. Their recent project falls in this category too, a complete contemporary residential redesign of a South Pasadena family home for Michael Cosentino, a senior producer at a National Public Radio station (KPCC), and his wife Rion Nakaya, founder and editor of digital educational platform The Kid Should See This.
The project involved the transformation of an existing, nearly a century-old South Pasadena residence – originally, Nakaya's family home. Planning their move-in, the owners discovered they were in need of more space. They were also after a modern interior aesthetic to fit their lifestyle. Their brief suggested balancing classic and modern, warm and minimalist, sharply poised and contemporary with homely and inviting. The new design blends all this with a sophisticated nod to midcentury styles and the aesthetics of modern Japanese houses.
At the same time, the project also transformed the property into a practical, cross-generational home, by redesigning the existing garage into an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU, that is, a smaller housing unit attached to a main, single family home). Nakaya's mother now lives there. This allows for ‘separate, yet communal living’, the team explain, their design bridging different needs and lifestyles while bringing the family together in a single plot.
The main, single-level space has been opened up, now decluttered and flooded with light through large openings and strategically placed skylights at various points in the house. A rear addition expands the living space. ‘[The] goal was to provide a highly functional space with enough room for all family members, on a tight budget and footprint, while still being able to eke out some good, impactful design. Also [important was] indoor/outdoor living, given the warm California climate and the ability to live easily outdoors for much of the year,’ say Krebs and Read.
A simple palette of woods, along with the owners’ collection of furniture and objects enrich the interior. This is further enhanced by customised details. Still, simplicity remains a key theme throughout this clever residential redesign. ‘The project isn’t flashy or complicated. Rather than using new technologies, it is almost lo-tech,’ the architects continue.
Nakaya adds: ‘Michael and I discussed a lot of styles that we like, primarily Japanese minimalism and midcentury modern. Medium Plenty found the shared aspects of those movements and, along with their studio vision, translated that into an affordable design that met the requirements set by the house’s historic codes. Design rounds in their Oakland office were fun and easy for us, because we already liked their approach to aesthetics and functionality. And then, all along the way, they were responsive to our feedback, kept us in the loop, and worked collaboratively with us on the details.’
INFORMATION
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
-
20 things that positively delighted us in and around Design Miami this yearFrom covetable 20th-century masterpieces to a tower made from ceramic pickles, these were the works that stood out amid the blur of Art Week
-
Montcalm Mayfair opens a new chapter for a once-overlooked London hotelA thoughtful reinvention brings craftsmanship, character and an unexpected sense of warmth to a London hotel that was never previously on the radar
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hills
The restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
-
The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
-
Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi designed a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead will be opened to the public for the first timeThe home, a defining example of the architect’s vision for American design, has been acquired by the Mississippi Museum of Art, which will open it to the public, giving visitors the chance to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius firsthand
-
Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume
-
This ethereal Miami residence sprouted out of a wild, jungle-like gardenA Miami couple tapped local firm Brillhart Architecture to design them a house that merged Florida vernacular, Paul Rudolph and 'too many plants to count’
-
Tour Cano House, a Los Angeles home like no other, full of colour and quirkCano House is a case study for tranquil city living, cantilevering cleverly over a steep site in LA’s Mount Washington and fusing California modernism with contemporary flair
-
An ocean-facing Montauk house is 'a coming-of-age, a celebration, a lair'A Montauk house on Hither Hills, designed by Hampton architects Oza Sabbeth, is wrapped in timber and connects its residents with the ocean
