Kudos to an Eichler
Breaking down the nooks and crannies added more functinal space

by Sarah Heim

Cathedral ceilings and extra light highlight the living area, furnished with a black Eames lounge chair and red Stoppino chair.

According to Leslie Dow, watching that first wall come down was the hardest part of the major remodel she and her husband, Chris, did to their South Palo Alto home. "It meant we were actually committing to doing this," she says.

Looking around their open-plan, 2,100-square-foot Eichler home, replete with ‘50s-modern style décor, both Leslie and Chris appear satisfied with their decision to remodel—a decision made with direction and expert advice from friend and architect, Mark Marcinik.

In fact, the Dows were inspired to do their home remodel after a visit to Marcinik’s own abode. "We saw this," says Chris, as he pointed to photos of Marcinik’s 1996 Home of Year in Metropolitan Homes Magazine, "and knew that’s what we wanted."

A "Sputnik" light fixture from the 1950s hangs in the high-ceilinged entryway of the home. The ball-b-que, as it was called in the '60s, perched in the background is one of the many vintage items the Dows found through shopping at thrift stores and on eBay.

Little did Chris and Leslie know that their $100,000 home improvement project would garner some of its own attention, including features in the New York Times and on Home and Garden Television. Nor is it likely the couple was thinking their home would also win a Home of Year award from Metropolitan Homes Magazine in 2001.

But the remodel that began in June 1999 and was almost entirely completed by October 1999 did just that—and clearly, for a reason.

Birch Ikea cabinets line the left wall. A glimpse of one of the many Judy Gittelsohn paintings that hang in the home can be seen on the far wall. Gittelsohn is a local Palo Alto artist, neighbor and friend of the Dows.

The stunning remodel created a highly functional living space—taking advantage of the telling details found in most Eichlers, like high, angular ceilings and sliding glass doors, which allow for ample light in the main rooms.

The major changes were made to the living room, kitchen and dining areas. Remodeling the four bedrooms is next on the Dow’s schedule, Leslie says.

With three kids, three dogs and two cats to consider, the Dows selected slate tiles for the floors in the kitchen and dining areas, as well as for the outdoor atrium, and bamboo for the more less-trafficked living area.

The kitchen is lit by Ikea cable lighting, which reflects off the custom stainless steel countertop and Akurum glass cabinets. The purple wall space to the right, complete with three embedded dog bowls, houses the home control center, including door bell and front door video camera control as well as x-ten control for the interior lighting.

By breaking down a lot of the nooks and crannies built into the 1974 home, Marcinik created what he calls an environment "where separate rooms are able to communicate with each other."

One way of accomplishing this was by uniformly painting the beams that extend from the interior of the home, along the solid redwood ceilings, out into the atrium. The cheerful yellow color also contributes to the light, airy feel of the connected spaces.

"(Marcinik) gave us a couple different palettes to work with," Leslie says. "We liked the bright colors." For the living room, the Dows selected a vibrant orange and in the kitchen they picked a more toned-down purple to add accent color to horizontal beams and the base of the island.

Indeed, a long, open kitchen with ample space on stainless steel custom countertops and in Ikea birch-and-glass cabinets emerged from what was once a narrow, dark and cubed-off space.

The counter stools—all three different colors—dining room table and chairs were all found on the online auction site, eBay. As is the case with the majority of vintage pieces positioned throughout the home, the kitchen furniture echoes back to the days of the Jetsons and a fascination with outer space.

Most of the furniture and accent pieces in the Dow’s home were either found on eBay or at local thrift shops, Leslie says. Although it’s easy to find Victorian pieces, Marcinik adds, finding ‘50s modern-style home furnishings in the Bay area can often pose a challenge.

But making the extra effort and finding the perfect pieces has paid off for the Dows. The finished product is a functional home with an edgy, Modernist flair. "Really, it’s simple," Marcinik says. "It’s about structural space and the inside and outside communicating with each other."