Open, elegant and light
Dressing up a Portola Valley split-level ranch

by Sharon Driscoll / photos by Robert Vente

When Carolyn and Tom bought their Portola Valley home in 1997, they knew they would be remodeling soon. The layout of the 1969 split-level ranch didn't make sense, and the house needed style.

"The living room needed to be more open -- comfortable -- yet elegant. And the dining room was too small," Carolyn says.

Carolyn had a bold vision of bright walls, high ceilings, lots of windows -- and columns.

But translating her vision to her architect proved frustrating. He didn't think the columns would work structurally or visually. So Carolyn went around him. She enlisted the help of an artist/contractor friend who drew the Moroccan influenced columns -- and made sure that she could build them.

Starting on the main floor, they took down walls and relocated the cloakroom to a corner of the kitchen to create an open, 22-foot by 33-foot living and dining room. To further increase the feeling of space they raised the ceiling to 17 feet.
And Carolyn got her columns -- eight of them in a double row separating the dining and living areas.

With newly installed wide-planked walnut floors, a stone fireplace, pale-yellow/orange walls, and tall French doors and windows, the room is now open, elegant and light. Furnished in rich tapestry patterns and chenille, it's elegant, yet comfortable enough for the family to enjoy.

"We love this room. With no television you can play games, talk -- and we use the area between the columns all the time for big craft and sewing projects. It wound up being a very useful space," Carolyn says.

The bold sense of style is carried through to the kitchen, where the walnut floors, windows and French doors are repeated and Carolyn chose antiqued cream cabinets and granite counter tops.

A large pantry was broken up, absorbed into a bigger breakfast nook, the cloakroom and a laundry room. Here, Carolyn took care to make the laundry room look as good as the kitchen.

"I think it's a huge mistake to dress down rooms like this -- it should look like part of the house. It doesn't cost much more to carry the style through," she says.

A cat lover, Carolyn had fun designing a cat-flap going from the kitchen into a cabinet in the laundry room.

Carolyn was sure to "dress up" the lower level of the house too, where the family room, two guest bedrooms and two bathrooms got a total makeover. Here, limestone floors, built-in bookcases, a cast-stone fireplace, mosaic tiles and classic furniture make for a comfortable, yet elegant look.

Upstairs, the master bedroom door, which would have faced the living room, was repositioned at an angle to maximize privacy and space. This also made it possible to fit a double-door entry into the room. Decorated with richly textured curtains, deep colors, and using an antique iron gate as the headboard to their bed, the room has a Moroccan feel.

Taking a bit of space from another bedroom, they extended the master bathroom to make it more open. Now the shower room, soaking tub, toilet room and double sinks fit easily. The floor is limestone with a mosaic carpet of tiles running down the center to tie-in with the Moroccan style of the bedroom.
Under the sink, there's a useful pullout laundry drawer.

"That's one of my favorite creations. It's a great way to use space that is usually just messy," Carolyn says.

A spare bedroom is now the children's study complete with desks, filing cabinets, a craft table and closet with plenty of storage. Here, limestone taken from the old living room fireplace has been recycled as counter tops for the desks.

Carolyn was careful to economize when she could. She shopped for looks that were similar to those her designer suggested, but at a reduced price. And she found savings.

"There's a big difference between $9 and $100 a yard when you're buying drapes, and $2,000 Home Depot closets versus $9,000 custom-made ones. It all adds up," she says.

Though budget conscious, Carolyn was sure to choose good quality materials.
"Style is always dated, but you can make timeless choices with good, well-constructed materials so that people won't feel they need to tear it down later," she says.

After the lengthy remodel, Carolyn and her family are enjoying the new livable elegance of the home.

"It was such an ugly house before, it looked like a big garage," she says.

Resources:
Architect/designer: Arthur McLaughlin and Associates, 1457 Baker St., San Francisco, (415) 673-6746, info@arthurmclaughlin.com
Contractor: John Scott and Glenn Warner, Scott & Warner Builders, Inc., Sausalito, (415) 759-5555, scottandwarnerbuilders@yahoo.com
Landscape designer: Artscapes, Scott Soden, Belmont, (650) 350-1032
Landscape maintenance: Gardens by Jose Garcia, (650) 670-0765