Managing Partner of Feldman Architecture, Steven Stept, AIA, recently set out to inject the modern design sensibilities from his professional work into his longtime Oakland, Calif., family home. Enlisting help from his own studio, Stept managed, designed, and acted as the general contractor for the project, using it as a means of experimenting with new products, vendors, and strategies of blending new and old.
The traditional shell of the Redwood Heights home reveals a modern interior with a newly renovated kitchen, dining room, office space and primary bedroom. In the front yard, black powder-coated steel retaining walls subtly add contemporary detailing to the exterior. Inside, by removing the breakfast nook and pushing the building out 4 feet into the side yard, the renovation expanded the kitchen downstairs as well as the office upstairs, adding more usable space for the family of four. Details, like black trimmed windows, thoughtful transitions between traditional and modern trim between rooms, and new modern appliances, thoughtfully elevate spaces.
Upstairs, the design rethinks the attic, previously a makeshift and cluttered office. The new and expanded space has multiple workstations and updated lighting and windows. A new primary suite on the second level adds a sense of privacy and allows each kid to have their own bedroom.
“It was great to work on designing my own home; we were able to experiment with ideas and test things out very easily and flexibly,” Stept says. “Since I moved in 20 years ago, I’ve been playing around with combining the beautiful, traditional elements of the original home with the more modern feel that I’ve been pursuing professionally.”
PHOTOS: Kristen Paulin
