Mid-century modern remodel in California with a central courtyard

By One Kindesign January 17, 2017

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Mid-Century Modern Home-Koch Architects-01-1 Kindesign

This mid-century modern home renovation project was commissioned by architectural studio Koch Architects, located in the hills of Berkeley, California. The re-design of this home constructed in 1959 was focused on redistributing the interior layout to take advantage of a centrally located courtyard.

The architects designed spaces that blurred boundaries between indoors and out. A color and material palette was selected to infuse the spaces with warmth. Expansive windows helps to illuminate the interiors with natural light, while at the same time framing the surrounding views of nature.

“A significant seismic retrofit was carefully integrated into the design,” states the architects. This enabled them “to accommodate large expanses of glass and a structural steel exoskeleton.” On the exterior facade, the architects used western red cedar siding, applied horizontally. The siding was treated with Cabot’s semi-transparent stain in the color Spanish Moss with just a hint of umber added for warmth.

A covered front porch adds protection from the elements, while a lattice screen gives visual privacy from the street, while not completely blocking natural light from filtering through. The light fixtures on the wall in the image below were sourced from Shaper Lighting. While the custom solid core flush door was painted on-site in Benjamin Moore—Sweet Vibrations 391. The wood on the ceiling above the doorway is rough sawn douglas fir, with a transparent stain applied to it.

What We Love: This mid-century modern home features clean lines, earthy aesthetics and a minimalist style that is ultra-inviting. There are a lot of fantastic design features in this home, from the beautiful palette of paint colors to the outside pavers and deck. Every detail has been carefully selected and it shows in the finished product of this stunning renovation project.

1 Kindesign readers, what is your favorite design feature in this home, is there anything you would have done differently?

Above: The sliding panel doors in the living room are original to the home, designed by a company called Arcadia. The sofas were custom designed to fit the space. The area rug underneath the sofas was custom designed in South America. The paint color on the walls is Benjamin Moore — Natural Elements 1515 (far back wall).

Above: The custom designed cabinetry color is Pratt & Lambert 2130 Rye, while the wall color is Pratt & Lambert 2129 Sesame. The bookcases on either side of the bed were designed to be 20″ wide. If you wish to have this same look, you would need to hire a local custom cabinet designer.

Above: A close-up detail of the bedroom custom designed headboard light fixture. The light is the Petit Salon Wall Bracket – 3120, sourced from Phoenix Day.

Above: In front of the fireplace, the bench is comprised of pre-cast concrete sourced from Concreteworks in Alameda, California. The wood cladding on the wall adjacent to the fireplace is western red cedar with a pigmented gel stain. The fireplace surround features an integral color Venetian plaster, that has been hard trawled.

Above: A close-up detail of the bathroom vanity. The countertop is pre-cast concrete, while the sink was sourced from Kallista.

Above: Outside, the Ipê wood deck tiles were sourced from Bison IP, who leads in the industry in quality and testing. The design is perfect for varying weather conditions, as they have small slats with space between for expansion and contraction.