Duboce Street Victorian
While out walking the dog, the husband in this growing San Francisco family happened upon an amazing house for sale in an incredible location. Located on Duboce Park, a scenic green surrounded by Victorians and cafes, with spaces for both dogs and children, is a favorite community spot to many. There always seems to be sunshine which is something rare in foggy San Francisco. Our clients made an offer, and like that, they were off on a remodeling adventure.
The primary goals were to update the kitchen and create a bathroom suite where there was none. A substantially sized brick chimney divided the kitchen and dining room. When deemed seismically unsafe, the chimney was removed and the kitchen opened up, with more light and connection between the two rooms. Other kitchen doorways were opened up or closed off to allow for the cabinetry configuration, which carefully balances storage and workflow.
Having worked with this family previously, we understood that they enjoyed the juxtaposition of antique and modern. Shaker style cabinets and trim form a backdrop to dyed oak panels on the island, in a deep peacock color. We developed a custom mix with the finisher for these pieces of millwork. Clé tiles in a contrasting deep green form an intentional juxtaposition to the custom metal hood, which we had finished at an auto body shop. A garage located at the end of the island stores small appliances and can be quickly closed to hide its content from guests.
A new bathroom was carved out of the bedroom square footage and was necessarily compact for the program. The clients hoped to fit a full suite of plumbing into this space, including a separate tub and shower, and our game of Tetris began. A vintage clawfoot tub in a smaller proportion was refinished and installed under the window. The floating walnut vanity was carefully sized to be just the right balance of sink and counter. Above it, a residual wall cavity is outfitted with a walnut niche for added storage. Calacatta floor tile in a basketweave pattern adds texture and connects the shower to the rest of the room.
In the garden, a raised deck was designed to take advantage of the south-facing warmth. One modern feature is the bent metal floating stair, fabricated to be a continuous thin feature. It starts at the upper landing, also steel plate, and cascades down the backdrop of the cedar back panels, never touching the ground. An integrated gate at the top of the stair and a built-in sandbox beneath accommodating the smaller members of the family.
“We have worked with Eisenmann Architecture on 4 projects over 8 years. The scale of projects have ranged from a comprehensive commercial renovation of a historic building (with a particularly challenging planning department process that Eisenmann handled with finesse!) to a simple and modern update of a deck attached to our San Francisco home. We have come to value Stacy's ability to blend beautiful design into a warm and livable space. Her team is organized, responsive, communicates clearly, and is committed to the project until it's done. We can't recommend her more highly!”
- Katie and Sugam (Clients)
“I've been a contractor for the last twelve years and have worked with a good handful of architects in that time. I cannot express enough gratitude for the beautiful projects that I've been involved in with the Eisenmann team! Stacy is a great leader and it has been for me the utmost pleasure to have had the opportunity to work with her.
As an Architect, Stacy is able to take on challenging projects and find creative ways to manage the planning and permitting submittals to get things through the city. She is client savvy to guide and improve your ideas so that the resulting spaces are not just functional but beautiful. Stacy accomplishes both with aplomb. Having the right architect makes the difference between having good ideas and the right to build them. If you want to take your idea and turn it into something you enjoy looking at and experiencing every day I highly recommend you start your team with Eisenmann Architecture. From a creative standpoint her work is exemplary. While it should be noted that creative firms reflect your tastes as a client, a good firm will help you move out of your zone and deliver something you would relish not just in the present but also in the ensuing years, if not decades.
We have referred Stacy as an Architect to numerous clients and have had the opportunity to work with her on numerous projects. We have found her to be responsive and able to work through complex issues that arise during construction. Stacy’s drawings show every detail, well thought-out, with materials specified and researched. This not only makes our job easier as a Contractor and Builder, but we are able to provide very tight and concise bids at the beginning of a project that we are able to stick to through the course of a project. We wholeheartedly recommend Stacy as the Architect for your next project.”
-Adrian Mulhall, Mulhall Construction (Contractor)