Christi Azevedo of Azevedo Design took on the task of renovating Douglass Park – a 70s home – into a more open and inviting space. And the first thing she did was re-imagine the volumes in such a way as to let as much daylight and starlight into the home as possible. By doing so, a large amount of light and volume were freed from the typical compartmentalized design the 1970s embraced.

The back yard was reinvented – into a stepped and tiered outdoor living space complete with a fire bowl under the shade of a large preexisting tree. The facade of the home was reinterpreted into a charcoal palette consisting of Shou Sugi Siding, Hardiplank siding, Resibond sheet metal and bronze anodized windows.

Tiny cubbies were incorporated into the wood clad retaining wall to house succulents, creating art out of Mother Nature.

The succulent niches are located just above the outdoor kitchen – which is just outside the main kitchen. The main kitchen is a contemporary design of custom oak cabinet in a grey finish with wrap-around marble countertops and a stainless steel island.

The upper cabinets and the lower cabinets facing the dining area feature frosted glass, while a section of the floor is also glass to expose the wine cellar below.

The dining area is positioned just below a raised ceiling section wrapped with clerestory windows. The raised ceiling not only floods the space with natural daylight – and star light – but also defines the dining zone in the new floor plan.

The living room completes the expansive open floor plan that begins with the front deck, overlooking cypress trees that reach up from the street level one story down. And all with a view of the San Francesco Bay.

The living room features a modern fireplace next to the stairwell which is bordered by a shelving unit, open on both sides.

The stairwell has a glass panel replacing the balustrade to allow for as much light as possible to flood the zone.

The wine cellar is below the kitchen and although the room has no windows, the space still receives natural light from the ceiling skylight that is the glass-floor section of the kitchen next to the island.

Christi Azevedo combined a small bath with a closet to create a spa bathroom that features a woodsy Japanese soaking tub and a large trough sink.

A second bathroom introduces wood in the vanity and introduces one of the few patterns incorporated into the home’s interior design – the tiles in the tub area.

Azevedo Design Photography by Cesar Rubio