Creston House

This renovation of a Roger Lee-designed home in the Berkeley Hills honors
and extends the original spatial concepts of the midcentury structure while
thoughtfully updating the space for modern living. The surgical removal of
small sections of walls opened the formerly separate galley kitchen to the
main living area, creating a continuous spatial flow and further connecting
the interior to light and exterior views. This intervention additionally helped
to articulate a wood-clad volume at the center of the home which discretely
conceals storage and functional spaces within meticulously crafted
cabinetry and wood-veneered walls. This volume stands in contrast to the
strong planar language of the home’s exposed beams, nail-laminated 2 x 3
ceiling, and large panes of glass, dynamically emphasizing the original
character of Lee’s design.
The updated kitchen reinforces this language of functional elements
concealed and incorporated into wooden volumes, with fully integrated
appliances and wood-surfaced countertops. Two bathrooms, buried within
the central core behind flush, wood-paneled doors, playfully surprise with
vibrant red mosaic tiles, underscoring the carefully calibrated game of
concealing and revealing that characterizes the updated home. At the rear,
the kitchen, lounge, and primary bedroom visually connect to the lush back
garden in accordance with the indoor-outdoor quality of Lee’s original
design ethos. Benefiting from the enhanced flow of the subtly revised plan,
the kitchen and lounge spaces now also extend in the opposite direction
through the main living area and out toward the stunning bay view.